


Bound by Family

by Queroze



Series: Family ties [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Anxious Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, But Deceit is only talked about, But just a little, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Logan is thougtful, Morality | Patton Sanders is a Good Friend, Multi, Other, POV Alternating, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roman tries his best, Sequel, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Villain Deceit Sanders, but you don't have to read the first one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:55:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21910810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queroze/pseuds/Queroze
Summary: After something bad happens to Virgil, his family is there to help pick up the pieces.
Series: Family ties [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578208
Comments: 43
Kudos: 147





	1. Patton is worried

Patton was concerned.

It had been a month since Virgil’s Troubles _._ Patton knew it would take some time for Virgil to feel better. But he hadn’t seemed to be improving at all. If anything he seemed to be getting worse. Patton didn’t even know what exactly had happened during Virgil’s Troubles _._ After the only conversation about what Virgil had to do get out of the situation, he hadn’t talked to anyone about it since. _That can’t be good, right?_

Patton looked across the family room to where Virgil was sitting. A typical night Before the Troubles Virgil would have been relaxed lying with his feet on the sofa. He would’ve had hood down, huge headphones on, with loud music. He would have been scrolling on his phone being around his family.

Now he sat with legs curled under him, back tense against the sofa. His headphones were out of sight. Patton hadn’t seen them since Virgil’s Troubles. His hood was up covering most of his head and face. The only thing that seemed to occupy him at the moment was playing with a fidget cube. Patton worried at his bottom lip. This is how Virgil had been since his Troubles _._ He knew something was the matter, but he didn’t know what to do or how to fix it. And that made Patton a sad dad.

“Hey Virge, do you want to play a game? Or watch a movie?” Patton asked with just a hint of his usual cheeriness.

“If you want.” Virgil shrugged, muttering to the toy in his hands.

“It’s really what you would want to do Virgil.” Patton said, trying to coax a real answer from his tense friend.

Virgil shrugged and continued to press buttons on the fidget cube. _Click click clickclickclick_

Patton sighed. Maybe he would have an idea of what do to in the morning. He stood up, stretching and yawning. “I think I’m going to head to my room then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Virgil grunted. “’Kay.” Patton checked Virgil’s face one last time before leaving the family room. Virgil was staring fixedly to the toy in his hands. Way more directed then he was a moment ago. His eyebrows were furrowed together, lips pursed, and eyes concentrated.

Patton shook his head to himself confused. He knew Virgil’s face was saying something like: “I am afraid of something, but would rather not say anything. I don’t want to bother you.” He knew what this face meant, but he wasn’t sure why was his face saying this now? Patton looked around the room. Nothing had changed in the last few moments. Patton sighed again. He just couldn’t figure it out.

“Goodnight Virgil!” Patton waved as he made his way to the stairs where each of the sides had a bedroom. A single hand rose over the back of the sofa to wave back. Patton smiled at the gesture and made his way up the stairs and down the hall.

 _What am I going to do about Virgil?_ The thought beat in his head like a drum. He passed Roman’s door, then Logan’s. Patton stopped in the middle of the hallway. _I knew what it meant, but not what it REALLY means._ He thought to himself. _I know who knows how to figure out what things really mean!_

And with all thoughts of heading to his own bedroom gone, he rapped quickly on Logan’s door.

Taptaptaptaptap.

_It’s patpatpatpat, but backwards!_ He thought to himself as he knocked on Logan’s door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. Logan's Research

Taptaptaptaptap

Logan looked up from his desk. He had retired for the evening from social engagements and was now participating in one of his favorite activities: Research. At least he was until someone decided to knock.

_Hypothesis: Patton._

When Logan opened the door Patton had a huge smile on his face.

_Conclusion: correct._

Logan mused about how common, though recent, the other Sides could come visit each other. Each Side had a fraction of Thomas’s mind that is completely separate from everyone else. These areas if Thomas’s mind served to re-energize each Side with the native energy that was concentrated there. But since they have all grown closer, a miniature version of these personal spaces were formed as bedrooms, upstairs from the common area. This way each Side was accessible to the others, but still could become re-energized. _My idea naturally_. Each Side required a certain amount of time in the space that accentuated their own traits; else they would become a dull version of themselves, and thus become less effective. As they all spent more time together Patton had been reluctant to go to his corner of Thomas’s mind, so separate from the others. But with the suggestion of a miniature version of the space near the common area, where a Side could go, but still be invited to participle in impromptu activities had aided Patton in returning to a space that would make him more himself.

Logan opened the door wide and let the bubbly side into his personal space. Logan gestured to a soft black chair opposite of his desk. Other then the bed it was the only soft piece of furniture in his room. It was exclusively for visiting guests. Patton bounced in the seat with Logan taking the seat back at his desk. While these mini-spaces where attuned to each side for rejuvenation purposes, due to the proximity to the common area, the effects where more diluted on the other Sides. This made private conversation in each mini-space, (or _bedrooms_ as all the others referred to them, (though technically this was not the correct nomenclature.)) much less complicated.

Leaning back in his desk chair, Logan looked at Patton with eyebrows raised. The empathic part that made up Patton was indeed fascinating. The way he was able to read the other’s expressions as Logan himself read a book, often vexed him. But he would also make a personal game out of it. How many sentences did he not have to say out loud?

It was purely for research purposes of course.

_Speaking of research…maybe Patton would be amenable to helping me with my pet project._ He glanced to his notes on his desk.

Having taken Logan’s eyebrows as an invitation Patton blurted out, “I’m worried about Virgil.”

“As we have previously discussed, it is likely his,” he was careful with his word choice now, “recent Experience has made Virgil more sensitive to things. I am positive he will become his old self again in his own time.”

“I don’t know Logan; you weren’t there when we had our talk.” Patton had previously told Logan about the conversation immediately after Virgil’s Experience. Though Logan still believed he was missing elements in Patton’s retelling. “He keeps confusing me. One minute he is…ok, not super, but as good as he is right now. And the next minute he is… is…” Patton threw up his hands is despair. “A really really a not ok guy!” Patton flopped back into the fluffy chair.

“Without any sort of stimulus to cause the said response of… “Not ok guy”” Logan loathed to use Patton’s terminology. Patton’s definitions were always dubious at best. But in this case even Logan could see that Patton was upset.

“Nothing I notice! By the time I… I…” Patton lost the words.

“By the time you have read his emotions on his face, you have forgotten what had happened just prior the moment?” Logan offered helpfully. Patton’s grasp on his own abilities have always been tenuous.

“Yes! I know what it means! But I don’t know what it _means._ You know what I mean?” Patton seemed to be getting to his point of his visit.

“Surprisingly I do know what you mean.” Logan had come to the decision in recruiting the Heart’s help.

“You do?!?” Patton asked excitedly, bouncing slightly in the chair.

Adjusting his glasses, Logan nodded. “I have been noticing odd behavior’s of Virgil’s as well. But I don’t know what they mean either. I have gone over the data, and I have yet reached a satisfying conclusion.” Logan pulled a spreadsheet out from his notes on his desk. “But I think with both of us looking at the data, you may provide insight as to what it, as you put it before, _means”_

Patton nodded excitedly.

“This way you don’t get caught up in the moment, and I am able to provide context.”

“Flip on a light, that's a bright idea! Ooo I knew it was right coming to you with this!” Patton wiggled excitedly in his seat.

“Well. Logic always has a place. Even in helping a friend.” Logan replied a little flattered. “Right, I suggest we get down to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading so far.  
> thank you for your kudos and comments!


	3. Patton’s epiphany

Patton was just so excited!

He was going to help a friend with a friend! And Logan honestly thought he would be able to help!

_I have to focus though._

“Right, I suggest we get down to it.” Patton watched as Logan went into business mode.

“Yes! What do you have already?” Patton asked trying to mirror Logan’s seriousness.

Logan had pulled out a piece of graph paper, with little markings all over it.

“This is all the data I have collected on Virgil for the past two weeks.” He said showing it to Patton proudly. And how could he not be proud? It was color coded, clean and very thought out. _Sadly…_

“I don’t know what any of this means.” Patton looked down at the tables and graphs crestfallen. He tried to turn the graph upside-down, but that did not unlock the information it held.

Logan was not to be deterred. “Right. Of course you don’t. This is too black and white for you…”

“It’s actually very colorful, and I appreciate that.” Patton interrupted.

Logan took a deep breath, fingers pinching on the bridge of his nose. His face screaming: _Dad jokes? Really? Right now?_

Logan continued verbalizing his thoughts, “It is not in a form that you understand easily. But if I can get the data to a point that is closer to how you think…” Logan rambled to himself, “I require the information to be in a state where you can actually digest it. But what form would that be? Tables and graphs obviously don’t work.” Logan started pacing. “Perhaps an interpretive dance? You like songs. Maybe if I make a picture book?” Logan muttered to himself. He was in full problem solving mode.

“Hey Logan? Why don’t you tell me what it means?” Patton asked attempting to calm the logical side.

That stopped Logan mid step. “Of course Patton, That was exactly what I was going to do.” Logan cleared his throat to alleviate his embarrassment. Pulling over a chalk board Logan looked over his graphs carefully.

“I believe I can distill this into nine facts.” Logan took a long pointer and with a soft tap, small neat handwriting showed up on the chalkboard as the first fact appeared.

“Fact 1: Virgil has not put on his headphones. He has not had them at all. Compared to a before Experience Virgil having his Headphones on for about 67% of the time in the common area, this is one of the largest changes in his behavior. As well as the one that has been the most consistent.”

Patton had noticed this as well. He nodded to show his understanding. Logan taped the chalkboard again and another fact appeared.

“Fact 2: Virgil has had his hood up. This has increased factor of 10 times more after his Experience. This trend suggests that this is the largest change in his behavior.”

Patton nodded chewing his lip. He had noticed this one too. Another tap, another fact.

“Fact 3: Virgil doesn’t leave the common room until it has been empty for at least an hour.” Logan smirked to himself “Or when he thought it was empty…”

“Have you been SPYING on poor Virgil?!” Patton was shocked.

“Not spying, researching. It is important to know how a subject acts when they think they are alone. I wouldn’t have several of my data points without some kind of subterfuge.” Logan waved the concern away with one hand and with the other hand made another fact emerge.

“Fact 4: Virgil has not gone into his own space, or mini-space since his Experience.” Logan’s face was stony as he stated this fact. _Oh-uh…_ Patton, of all the Sides, knew the importance of their own spaces. Their mini-spaces, or bedrooms, were made in response to his own need to be with the ones he loved. And Virgil hasn’t gone to his bedroom?

“Where does he go?”

“To the Sunset room you and Roman put together.” Logan answered, as he tapped the board with a slight irritation.

“That was fact 5. When he departs from the common area he only goes to the Sunset room.”

The sunset room was a room created by Roman at Patton’s request in the wake of Virgil’s Troubles. Patton had asked Roman to make a room “So comfortable that even the day falls asleep!” From that inspiration for the sunset room came to being. It was a neutral space that was created down stairs from the living room. They had all added a bit of familiar flare to the room, in hopes to help Virgil relax as he rested after his Troubles. Apparently it had worked, though a bit too well.

“Fact 6: Virgil will often hide in small spaces in the common room. This happens when no one else is around.”

 _Huh, that’s an odd one._ “I haven’t noticed that.” Patton replied. Logan shrugged and continued with a small rap.

“Fact 7: Virgil will turn on every light in the room his is currently in.”

“Really?! I thought Virgil liked semi-dark spaces?” Patton asked confused.

“It is a fact. Fact 7 in fact.” Logan’s sneaky smile played around the corners of his mouth.

“Are there any more?”

“Two more, Fact 8: Virgil doesn’t entertain himself with his phone.” Logan went on, quickly reaching his last fact, with a swish of his pointer.

“Fact 9: Virgil will go into any room where there is the most amount of company.”

“What do you mean?” Patton asked not grasping the dry language of this last fact.

“For example: Virgil and I were sitting at the dining room table. I was reading a book and taking notes, Virgil was playing with, what I believe is a fidget toy?” Logan looked confused.

“His fidget cube?” Patton added helpfully.

“No, I believe this is some kind of putty? Where he is getting all the different fidget toys I have not yet figured out.” Logan frowned at his notes. “Anyway, you and Roman came into the common room and settled in. I believe as soon as he sensed you were going to be there for a significant amount of time he gravitated toward the room with more companionship.”

“Aw Logan! Don’t feel bad!” Patton reached out to comfort Logan.

“I do not feel bad. He has done this to every one of us.” Logan stepped back from Patton’s gabbing hands as he adjusted his tie. “Virgil will be attracted to a room with a larger group, even if he is already in a room with someone.” Logan sighed, looking down at his figures. “See what I mean? I do know what he is doing, but I don’t know why!” Logan dropped his graphs on the floor, looking dejected. Logan hated it when his facts where not quite enough. _That’s why I am here!_ Patton thought happily

“Well, I know what some of these things mean.” Patton said supportively. “I don’t know what they all mean, but…” Patton looked at the chalkboard and thought about how each fact would look in real life. He tried to imagine how Virgil would look doing each one of these things. “The headphones and the hood, those are related. Of course.”

Logan snatched up his graphs from the floor. “They are?”

“And the sunset room fact and him not going to his bedroom are also related….” Patton could feel an interpretation budding in his mind.

“I don’t understand how.” Logan grumpily said. He turned his graphs upside down to try and impart some new information from them.

Patton looked toward to Logan from list of facts in front of him. “The last 4 facts are all odd… hiding, light, no phone and company.” Patton closed his eyes and imagined Virgil doing these things. _What would make Virgil turn on a light? Why would he go to a room with more people? Why would he hide? Why wouldn’t he be on his phone?_

“OHMYGOODNESS!” Patton stood up quickly.

Logan stepped back, bumping into the board, causing chalk dust to puff behind him, his face shocked at the outburst.

“Virgil is scared!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> thank you for all the kudos and comments!


	4. Logan has an idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New year!

“Virgil is scared!”

Patton’s outburst had taken Logan off guard. He was still gathering his wits when he noticed Patton making a direct line to the door.

“Where are you going?” Logan reached out to Patton in an attempt to slow the impulsive side down.

“To help Virgil, of course! He is scared, and hurting, and upset! And I didn’t even….” Patton turned back toward Logan.

While Logan was not a very good reader of people’s emotions, there were some obvious signs even he couldn’t miss. The tears in Patton’s eyes were one example. Logan took a deep breath. In a normal situation he would look for Virgil to help with a wet Patton. But seeing as Virgil was part of the issue that was making Patton _sad,_ (Logan shuddered at the word) that was not an option.

“What is your plan?” Logan asked clinically.

Patton sniffed, “I don’t know, to hug him, and help him, and and…I don’t know… but we have to do something.” Patton lower lip started to tremble.

_Hypothesis: Patton is going to cry if I don’t do something right now._

Taking a deep breath, Logan put his hands on Patton’s shoulders. “I am not saying we don’t do something. But you just diagnosed the problem. And that is a huge step in solving it. As far as problems go, this is a delicate situation. It needs to be handled with finesse and sensitivity.” He started to pull Patton back from the door. “If we are to help Virgil and not make things worse, I believe that we need to have a plan.” A few more steps toward the chair Patton had jumped up from. “I don’t know the plan yet. But we should work on it together.” They were both now in front of the chair. Logan was about to gesture for Patton to sit, when his own words repeated in his mind again.

_We **should** work on it together._ _Perhaps we need assistance._

“Roman?” Patton seemed to pick up on Logan’s thoughts changing course. _Curse my face for giving my thought away._

“Yes. I think we should enlist Roman’s help. He is the one who comes up with ideas and we need a superior plan.

“That is a great idea! Let’s go!” Patton slipped from Logan’s grasp and headed to the door again. This time he was going too fast for Logan to even think about stopping him. Logan sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time that Roman and he had worked on a project late into the night. He turned back to his notes on the desk. He looked at the facts on the chalkboard. Grabbing a note book he quickly copied the summery down. As he gathered all of his data up he heard Patton’s signature knock on Roman’s door.

_Taptaptaptaptap_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the small chapters.   
> Buckle up for that word count to exponentially grow!


	5. Roman creates a plan

Roman lay on his bed listlessly.

He was sprawled across his rumpled red comforter, one leg dangling off the edge. He was tossing a tennis ball at the ceiling. Every time the ball would bounce off the ceiling another idea would manifest on as page on the plaster. There were over 50 pieces of paper overlapping in an area above his head. Each idea was most desperate then the last. The sight of the pages frustrated him to no end.

“Nothing is working! I have no direction!” Roman flipped his hand as if to swat an annoying bug and all the pages from the ceiling rained on him as crumpled up balls of paper. He felt miserable. He changed his position on his bed so that his head was hanging over the edge, his bedroom door upside-down in his vision. Roman hated it when there was a mental thorn his metaphorical lion’s paw. When he got stuck on a subject his mind couldn’t seem to leave it alone. Like a tooth that was loose, he kept poking at it. But none of the solutions he was coming up with seemed right for his…..

_Taptaptaptaptap_

“Patton? At this hour?” he looked at the clock, twisting his head to properly read the time. It was far too late for Patton to be quite so active. The late nights were typically Roman’s and Virgil’s time to work the hardest.

_But Virgil isn’t himself… that’s the problem._

Roman flipped around and went to open the door. Standing there was a very hopeful looking Patton.

“Hey Pat…” Suddenly a wild looking Logan, arms full charts, notebooks and papers had stepped quickly behind Patton. “and Logan?” Roman was confused. He had seen a Logan like this in the past. A problem that he couldn’t solve and Roman talents where needed. He would be preening, but Patton was with him. Patton rarely needs Roman’s flair with the problems he faced. Patton would more often come as a friend to chat or hang out.

“Come in, come in. Excuse the mess, I have been working.” Logan nodded and took his typical spot at the gold vanity, the closest thing to a desk in Roman’s room. Logan perched uncomfortable on edge of the chair, arms still full of notes. Patton bounced on the bed.

“What brings you both here?” Roman’s curiously demanded an explanation to the strange situation in front of him.

“Virgil.” they both said in union. They looked at each other a little embarrassed. _Do they know I was just thinking about our sad Emo_ _as well??_

Logan nodded to Patton to explain.

“Virgil is scared. And we don’t know what to do about it.” Patton’s words came out as a tumble.

“What?” Roman was perplexed and worried. _That isn’t…it couldn’t have been me…._

Logan rolled his eyes. He lifted the mess of notes from his lap, “May I?”

“Please, it is all yours.” Roman bowed, hand extending out the invitation toward the dry erase board on the wall across from the bed.

Logan and Roman had worked on projects enough in the past that Logan knew how some of the magic of Roman’s bedroom worked. Logan took his mess of notes, stepping carefully around the paper balls scattered on the floor, walked toward the board and did an underhand toss. But rather than the notes landing on the ground, they reorganized themselves on the board neatly.

“What was that?!?!” Patton eyes glued to what just happened.

“It’s how I work Daddy-o. I like to have all the information in front of me. Now please start from the beginning.” Roam said, giving Logan the floor. _I’ll understand what the heck is going on if Logan explains._

Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, going into full teacher mode.

“There are 9 facts I have gathered in the last two weeks that are a departure from Virgil’s normal behavior previous to his ‘Experience’”. Logan did air quotes stiffly. Roman nodded, watching Logan intently.

Logan then went on quickly:

“Fact 1: Virgil has not put on his headphones.

Fact 2: Virgil has had his hood up of his jacket nearly 100% of the time.

Fact 3: Virgil doesn’t leave the common room until it has been empty for at least an hour.

Fact 4: Virgil has not gone into his own space, or mini-space.

Fact 5 Virgil will only go to the Sunset room, if he leaves the common areas.

Fact 6: Virgil will often hide in small spaces in the common room, when no one else is around.

Fact 7: Virgil will turn on every light in the room his is currently in.

Fact 8: Virgil doesn’t entertain himself with his phone.

Fact 9: Virgil will go into any room where there is the most amount of company.”

Roman watched astonished. A had noticed a few of these things, but the research Logan had done seemed extensive. _But how did Logan miss something so big?_

“How about fact 10?” Roman scanned his eyes around the notes. _Surely the others have noticed._

“There is no fact 10.” Logan answered stubbornly

“There are only 9. It’s un-de- _nine_ -able!” Patton answered from the bed.

“Fact 10: Virgil has been using the Voice.” Roman proclaimed. Virgil’s Voice was something that they all had heard at one point or another before Virgil’s Encounter. It was the reverberating inflection that only seemed to happen when Virgil was truly agitated.

Logan sputtered “No, he hasn’t. I would have recorded that data point.” He turned back to the notes on the board, his nose scrunched as is eyes scanned his findings. “I would have surely noted that.”

Patton from the bed said quietly, “I haven’t heard Virgil use the Voice at all since his Troubles.”

“We are all aware that Virgil has little control over the Voice. It comes out at points of stress. But I have not observed Virgil stressed. Nor have I heard a single accidental use of the Voice.” Logan stated this as if it made it true.

“But since his Encounter I have heard Virgil use the Voice a bunch!” Roman nearly yelled. _I hate it when Logan doesn’t believe me._

“When did you hear Virgil use the Voice? Was it unintentional?” Logan started to drill Roman.

Patton asked a little softer, “Was he sorry afterward? He really doesn’t like scaring us.”

“I noticed he had been a bit down in the dumps right after his Encounter,” Roman started to explain, “I had a great idea to try and cheer him up! I started to leave little gifts around. All those new fidget toys he has now. I gave them to him as gifts.”

“Those were from you?” Logan seemed incredulous.

“Yep! Rather than just leaving them out for him to find I thought I would jazz up the presentation a bit.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck. _Maybe I did make it worse._

“How do you mean?” Patton asked.

“I thought I would surprise him! I mean who doesn’t like surprises?”

“Virgil. That is the correct answer. Virgil doesn’t like surprises.” Logan answered, looking like he had aced a test.

“Oh-no.” Patton sounded more worried

“The first once I put in a box that popped. Like a jack in the box! That’s so cool right? And one I put in one of those singing cards. Oh! Oh! And one I put into a little trebuchet to fling to him when he walked into the room. And he seemed to like the gifts! They haven’t left his hands since.” Logan quietly pointed to fact 8.

Roman continued explaining frantically. _They must understand my intentions were good_. “But every time I gave him with a gift with flair, the Voice would come out.” Roman winced as he thought back to how embarrassed Virgil had become when the Voice came unbidden, his hands covering his mouth.

Roman stopped. “I did it. I made Virgil scared. I made him feel unsafe.” In his efforts to mend he had hurt his friend. He sat down hard on the bed next to Patton.

“When did you stop presenting Virgil with these gifts?” Logan asked carefully.

“After the first week? I think? I had been working on other plans ever since.” Roman gestured around the room; every corner had a heaping pile of discarded ideas in the form of paper balls.

“That’s why I didn’t record it.” Logan looked at his notes vindicated. “If it was only in response to being started and this was happening in the first week after his Experience, I didn’t start my research until two weeks ago. There was no overlap in my research and Roman’s gift giving.”

Patton gasped from the bed. “I bet you gave him the gifts in private too!”

Roman nodded. “I know how little he likes being the center of attention.”

“And you gave him surprises?” Logan said quietly to himself.

“Hush, Logan. He already feels bad.”

“What did I do?” Roman sighed, dramatically swinging his arms up and flopping on his back on the bed. He had been obsessing over how to show Virgil he wasn’t alone, he hadn’t noticed that he was doing more harm than good.

“Hey there kiddo, I think it will be OK! We just have to go about it differently, that’s all!” Patton turned toward Roman on the bed.

“Patton is correct. We must plan carefully if we are to create a solution to help Virgil.” Logan said, reassuring in his own way.

“Right. One must not look at the past, it only distracts from the now!” Roman stood up quickly and walked in front of the board taking it all in. He felt Logan back up toward the bed where Patton was still sitting. Logan knew his process and was giving him space to work. Roman rubbed his hands together then faced his palms toward the board in front of him, causing the neat papers and notes all to undulate into a rainbow of colors.

“Whoa!” Roman heard Patton gasp behind him

As the colors chased each other, Roman felt an idea form in his head. Something that wouldn't address all of the Facts Logan had brought, but quite a few of them. He snapped his fingers and a blueprint replaced the mess of colors. Logan’s notes fell into a neat pile on the floor. “There, I think that should do it.” Roman backed up to allow the other two Sides to see. Logan walked up and retrieved his research. Patton came up next to Roman and looked in awe at the blueprint.

“What is it?” Patton asked

“It’s our living room of course. We are going to remodel!” Roman answered confidently.

“I do not understand how a new sofa will help Virgil.” Logan said as he studied the blueprint.

“Not just a new sofa. It is a whole new way of looking at the space. We are making it as Virgil friendly as possible!” Roman pointed with a flourish. “And not just new things, but a new schedule as well Specs!”

“A schedule?” Logan looked at a time table, ready to be filled in.

“Yep, we don’t leave the room unoccupied. We all take turns sleeping in the common area, so that Virgil doesn’t have to leave.” Roman explained excitement building.

“That’s a great idea! I love sleepovers!” Patton squealed.

“I am not sure this is going to work.” Logan backed up to take in the whole picture.

“Why not?” Roman faced Logan. _I won't let Logan dissuade me that this is the perfect idea._

“The design is valid. I see this ottoman here, that is a clever.” Logan said as he pointed to a spot on the blueprint. “But for it to work, I fear that Virgil himself will be an issue.”

“What do you mean?” Patton asked.

“Virgil isn’t in the best place mentally as we all are aware. If he detects us changing everything around to suit him better he may respond negatively to it. This good idea would instead push Virgil away even more. And we cannot afford to let him isolate himself further.” Logan finished fingers under his chin in thought.

“Aw you do care!” Patton cooed.

“You think it is a good idea?” Roman had picked up on the praise.

“I do. On all accounts” Logan shifted his glasses. “I propose we go forward with this plan, but in such a way that Virgil isn’t aware it is directly for his benefit.”

“You want to lie?” Patton looked stricken.

“Not lie!” Roman picked up on what Logan was trying to say. “It’s like Christmas! Some scheming is needed! We will surely tell Virgil in the end why, but not until it is the correct time.”

Patton still looked a little uncomfortable. “We can’t just change things around without telling him. Wouldn’t that make it worse?”

“That is a good point Patton.” Logan looked back at the board as if it held all the answers.

“We tell him I wanted to change the room around, which will give him warning!” Roman’s ideas where coming faster now with Patton and Logan here to bounce ideas off of. “Plus it’s true. I have wanted to remodel the living room for a while. It’s just not big enough for the four of us. It was OK before Virgil joined us, but since it has been way too small.” Patton looked like he still has misgivings.

“What is it Patton?” Logan asked as he studied the others face.

“Well, I don’t know. I am sure this will help. But isn’t the point to get Virgil to be able to recharge in his own space?” Patton shrugged.

Roman stopped in his idea production. “Dang, you’re right Patton. We may just make another Sunset room all over again.” Trying to get some inspiration Roman started to ask questions. “What did we do when you didn’t want to leave the living room?”

“You built our little bedrooms all connected to the main space!” Patton answered brightly, remembering the kindness that was shown.

“Right, so what this is doing for Virgil is giving him a space where he can gain confidence. He may need our help to go back to his room again right?” Roman felt like he was getting somewhere. _I know the destination; I just have to show them the path._

“Of course, all he has to do is ask.” Patton nodded.

“But he is feeling so bad right now that even asking for help probably seems like too much, right?” Roman knew his idea was going to work. He wasn’t sure how until he had to explain it out loud.

Patton nodded.

Logan looked like he had caught the whole purpose of the plan as well. “If we can make it so that he is comfortable in a neutral space, with all of us, he may be able to become strong enough to tackle the proverbial dragon.” Logan cleared his throat, “By proverbial dragon, I of coarse mean going into his own space to recharge.”

“By Jove! I think you’ve got it!” Roman was full of excitement. “When do we begin? I can’t wait to start on this.” Roman looked back to his blue prints. It would be hard work, but it will be worth it.

“How long will it take? While you work none of us will be able to be in the area.” Patton spoke behind Roman.

“About eight to ten hours I think” Roman answered with a wave of his hand, unconcerned with things like timetables and deadlines at the moment.

“I would suggest we allocate a full 12 hours to the project.” Logan answered Patton. “And I suggest we do it over night, while things are naturally quieter already. Hopefully most of us will sleep through the majority of it.” Logan glared at Roman.

“Yes yes, that’s fine” Roman was fully distracted by what he needed to do. _First he had to make the common space larger, but not too much…_

“So tomorrow night then?” Patton asked.

“Yes. How about 9 to 9? I will work on the schedule for our common room shifts and hand those out by tomorrow afternoon. But now it is time that we all get some rest.” he looked down at his watch “It is already 1 am. We must all head to bed now. Since tomorrow is likely to not be as restful.” Logan shook his head to himself as he made his way to the door. This was not the first time Roman’s creative process interrupted Logan’s sleep schedule.

“Logan is right Roman, if you’re pulling an all nighter tomorrow with building you gotta get your rest tonight.” Patton put his hand on Roman’s shoulder.

Roman’s paused momentarily from his plotting. “Yeah sure Patton, I’ll get some rest.” _5 th thing to do was to make the kitchen table a bit wider, and get a nice long table cloth on it…_

Patton sighed, and left for his room for sleep.

_Next of course I will need to change how the lamps work, Logan could help with that…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind words, they mean the world to me!


	6. Virgil’s countdown

Virgil woke up.

Sighing and he checked the time on his phone. 9am burned into his eyes. He had wanted to sleep in later, but he hadn’t been resting well. Groaning, his fac e fell on the open window, warm evening sunlight was streaming in through the curtains.

_The sunset room._

That’s what Patton and Roman called it. They had made it for him as a private neutral space for him to recover in right after…

_Darkness, screaming, alone._

He had been using the room for about a month now. Roman had told him the room was meant to feel like the last Friday in August before school started, with the promise of both summer and autumn in the air. It was somehow both sad and a little hopeful. Patton had told Virgil he just wanted him to be able to sleep. The sunset room was located like a den in the “house” of Thomas’s mind, the stairway starting in the living room and leading down. Virgil shook his head from the warm and fuzzy thoughts of his family caring for him.

_I haven’t even done anything to deserve such care._

He hadn’t gone back to his own space since…

_Since I messed up._

The thought caught in his brain like a splinter. There was no easy way for him to think about, let alone talk about what had happened a month ago. He knew he wasn’t doing anyone any favors by not going to his own space to recharge. He knew it was necessary. He could feel his own essence starting to thin. To his knowledge none of them gone as long without recharging as Virgil had. The time Patton had nearly refused to go into his own space that had only been a week. And by the end of that week Patton had been frayed around the edges.

_And I’m not?_

There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He couldn’t go back, not yet. Everything about him still felt…

_Raw, open, vulnerable._

Everything felt awful. He resigned himself to getting up. At least in the common area there would be company. That made everything a little more bearable. He put on his hoodie and flipped up the hood. He didn’t bother checking his eye showdown since there wasn’t anything he could do to fix it. He glanced at the little coffee maker he had conjured, the only thing he had added to the room. He sighed.

_It was too much work today to even make coffee._

Taptaptaptaptaptap

Virgil smiled to himself. It was Patton, probably to see if he wanted breakfast. He was sure that Patton didn’t know that Virgil hadn’t gone back to his own space. Logan might, it was harder to hide things from him.

“Just a sec” Virgil took a deep breath, readying himself to interact with others. He opened the door to a smiling Patton.

“Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you!” Patton’s kept his voice lower in volume but the excitement still laced his words. Virgil appreciated the effort.

“Nope, I was just headed up actually.” He opened his arms to show he had gotten dressed for the day.

“Great! I thought I would let you know Roman is going to be working on the family room this evening, so none of us can go in there while it’s under construction.” Patton said all this very quickly.

“Oh?” Virgil wasn’t sure if he liked this.

“Yeah! He is remodeling the family room. He has wanted to do it forever and he got Logan to sign off on it last night. So the family room won’t be available from 9 pm to 9 am tonight.” Patton was breathing a little heavy. He said the whole phrase in just a single of breath.

“Okay…” Vigil decided he didn’t like it.

“Anyway! Breakfast! See you in a few!” Patton scampered up the wooden stairs without waiting for Virgil to answer.

He rolled his shoulders to try and release his building anxious feelings.

_Why was Princey doing this now? Why is Patton acting so strange? What am I going to do with 12 hours by myself?_

He grabbed a random fidget toy from the small collection of them on the night stand and stuffed in into his pocket. Tromping up the wooden stairs, his felt his previously neutral mood turn more stormy. As he walked into the kitchen he saw Patton tending to a frying pan of something at the stove. Logan was sitting at the dining room table working on toast and coffee, writing in a notebook.

_Logan is still eating on breakfast at this hour? He must have been a late night._

While it was not strictly necessary to eat, they all enjoyed the ritual of it. Logan had pointed out that while the calories didn’t make a different to their metaphysical forms, the habit of meal times should be kept up for social reasons. Patton naturally was in favor of meal times together. And it gave Roman a daily creative outlet if he needed it. Virgil took a chair with his back to the corner, pulling out the toy to keep his hands busy. This one happened to be a tangle toy, its alternating colors black and purple.

He sighed remembering Roman giving it to him. It had been accompanied by a very loud singing card. The Card had played an Evanescence song, but from the tinny speaker it, at the time, it had just sounded like noise to Virgil. He had thrown the card and package away in a fit of fear. He remembered saying “ **GET IT AWAY** ” in the booming way he had no control over. That had been the fourth attempt of Roman’s to try and give Virgil a gift. After that Roman had only tried three more times. Virgil stared moody at the plastic tangle in his fingers. He did acknowledge the care Roman had put in trying to help. He appreciated the care all of his friends where showing him. He just wished he could get over all his fear to appease them.

_Not that they needed appeasing_

They had all been so patient. Keeping a quieter mood around the living room when they thought he was around. Not talking about him when they thought he wasn’t around.

_Spying on them._

It wasn’t spying; it was not telling them that he happened to be in the room when they didn’t see him. Virgil had taken to hiding in the nooks around the common room. Not that there where many. It was usually in a last ditch effort to soothe himself before he gave up and went back into the sunset room for the night. But sometimes another Side or two would come back down or he fell asleep in the hiding spot and morning found him still there.

_It’s not spying…_

_Not on purpose._

“Hey, kiddo? Would you like some eggs?” Patton had brought some eggs over, interrupting Virgil’s brooding.

“Sure, thanks.” Virgil mumbled, slipping the tangle toy in his pocket.

Patton slid the plate in front of him and took a seat across Logan, next to Virgil.

“Roman is sleeping in I take it?” Logan asked looking up from his notebook.

“Yeah, he had a late night project idea for the family room and with him doing overnight constriction…” Patton let the sentence hang in the air. Virgil looked from Logan to Patton.

_What is going on?_

Logan must have felt Virgil’s eyes drill into him. He cleared his throat and stood up quickly. “I too have a project that needs my undivided attention; I should be done with it around noon.” Logan gathered his half finished coffee and notebook and headed to his bedroom.

Virgil narrowed his eyes toward the retreating Logical Side.

_Why is everyone acting so strange today?_

Virgil pushed his eggs around thinking about it. He didn’t want to outright ask, that would seem hypocritical. Everyone had been careful not to push him into talking about…

_Tied! Can’t move! Can’t see!_

He closed his eyes briefly to keep his thoughts at bay. They had not pushed him to talk, so he would extend the same courtesy. He glanced up at Patton as he put a forkful of scrambled eggs in his mouth.

“Are you doing OK kiddo?” Patton had been watching him, his eyes concerned.

Virgil nodded, happy to have a mouth full of food. Patton didn’t look satisfied.

_Can he read my mind or something?_

He knew Patton wasn’t able to read his thoughts per say, but Logan had the hypothesis that Patton could read facial expressions very well, so this often gave the impression of Patton picking up on thoughts. Logan’s hypotheses were rarely wrong. Swallowing his eggs Virgil knew he had to say something to calm Patton’s growing concern. “I’m uh…” Virgil had started talking without a plan of what he was going to say. “Worried about being alone all night?” Virgil finished with his earlier, sillier worry resurfacing. It wasn’t something he wanted to tell Patton about.

_It’s easier then talking about anything else in my head right now._

“Oh! I know! I was worried about that as well. But Roman promised it wouldn’t take more than 12 hours. That’s why he is doing it over night! That way most of us are sleeping. But that means no early morning pancakes…” Patton looked into Virgil’s eyes, “or late night snack runs.”

“Yeah. No late night snacks for me.” Virgil grabbed hold of the excuse for dear life.

“Well, I guess we will just have to stuff you full all day today! So you won’t get hungry tonight!” Patton answered with gusto. Virgil looked at Patton with a sideways glance.

_Snacks equal companionship duh._

_Right, but did Patton intend to do that, or does he think I will actually get hungry?_

_Metaphysical beings don’t get hungry._

_Patton seems to get hungry._

Virgil felt unresolved as to whether or not Patton had meant the euphemism; he decided to go with it anyway. “Sure. Let’s stuff our faces all day today.” Virgil gave Patton a half smile.

Patton beamed. “Ok! After breakfast, how about we make dessert? I just made…” Patton stalled glancing toward Virgil. The silence stretched between them.

_Cookies. You just made cookies a few weeks ago. And it wasn’t me you gave them too._

Virgil hated this. These minefields everyone stumbled into. It would have been better for Patton to have just forged ahead with his thought, but now there was attention brought to it. Virgil squirmed in his seat.

“How about cake?” Virgil blurted out. “A remodel cake?”

“Ooooo! I love that!” Patton squealed, all previous discomfort gone. He got up, his own breakfast forgotten, grabbed a baking book and flipped through the pages.

Virgil sighed and sank down into the dining room chair.

_This is going to be an agonizing 12 hours._

A few hours later, bowls crusted with batter and frosting piled high in the sink, the cake was finished. Virgil was on the counter was licking the last spatula with frosting on it.

“That looks really good Patton.” He gestured with his head poking out of his hood.

“You think so? I thought I would take a _whisk_ with a new recipe!”

Unable to hold back a smile from the edge of his mouth Virgil shook his head into his chest.

Sensing weakness Patton continued, “It was your idea for cake. I just _baked_ it happen.”

Virgil put his hand to his mouth trying to cover a giggle.

“I was a little worried when we made those funny layers, but I’m excited to see how it turned out.” Patton went along as if Virgil wasn’t doubling over. “I can’t wait to cut into it to if it worked!”

Finally in control of himself, Virgil asked “How is it supposed to look? I never saw the cookbook.”

“It’s supposed to look like a chessboard I think. Oh! That reminds me! I saw a game that’s a mix of Chess, Connect Four and Battleship.” Patton paused, as Logan came into the kitchen book in front of his face. “It’s called _rook, line and sinker_!” Logan turned on his toe and left the kitchen with a groan.

Both of Virgil’s hands covered his mouth, “I think you broke him.”

Patton shrugged and grabbed a large knife and cut into the cake. As promised the large slice of cake came out looking like a chessboard. “I’ll _check mate_ that off my list. I just make puns _en passant_! Would you like a slice?”

“Please, a smaller one.” Virgil sighed off the laughter.

Patton put the large slice on a plate for himself, then a cut smaller slice for Virgil.

Taking a bite, Virgil felt better than he had since…

_Alone. Dark. Isolated._

Virgil glanced at the clock on the microwave. 4:26 it read in bright green numbers.

_Only 4 hours and 34 minutes until I have to go back to being alone …_

Agitated due to remembering the deadline of the evening, Virgil hopped from the counter.

“How long is Roman going to sleep anyway?” He asked with a little more huff in his voice then he intended to.

“Oh, gosh I don’t know. I expected him to be up by now. He was so tired, he really _checked out!_ ” Patton answered over a mouth full of cake.

As if by dramatic cue a voice from the living room sang “When you wish upon a star….”

Virgil rolled his eyes.

_If anyone can sense someone talking about them it’s Princey._

But it was the unexpected voice that answered the singing that surprised Virgil. “The plan was to start construction at 9 tonight Roman. It is not even 5 pm. Please desist from your measuring; it is distracting me from my reading.”

Virgil felt a pull toward the living room. Living his cake behind and forgetting that Patton was in the room with him he went to where the two voices started to bicker.

“I know what we said. I am merely doing some preliminary evaluations.” As Virgil entered the room he saw Roman in front of the TV, with a cloth tape measure around his shoulders, a throw pillow in one arm and a stack of magazines in the other.

Logan was sitting upright on the sofa glaring up at the other side. “I do not see the rationale in measuring the mind space anyway. You are going to reconfigure it out of nothing, are you not? Why measure something when it will cease to exist in a few hours?”

_Cease to exist? What kind of remodel is this?_

Virgil took a seat on the floor behind the sofa, his back resting behind it.

“Virgil! Do you want to look at some of these interior design magazines with me? I must become inspired!” Roman called from his spot in the center of the living room.

“I’m good.” Virgil waved his hand from behind the sofa.

“Fiiiine” Roman whined. Virgil heard Roman sit down in a huff on the leather chair. A creak from the arm told Virgil that he had put his legs on the arm of the chair. A moment letter the tell-tale flip of glossy pages filled the silent room.

From his point on the floor behind the sofa Virgil saw the kitchen door open in front of him. Patton, with two more large slices of cake, came in with all the excitement he usually had when presenting baked goods.

“Oh! Hey! Didn’t expect you to be right there!” Patton exclaimed nearly tripping on Virgil. Virgil shrugged, tucked his legs tighter under himself and grabbed his tangle toy from his pocket.

“I have cake for everyone! Here you go Roman! Logan!” Patton handed out the plates carefully.

“Thank you! I must fuel my inspiration because no one wants to help by being my muse!” Roman was close to whining again.

“Aw! I thought you had it all figured out already?” Patton asked with confusion in his voice as he sat down next to Logan. Virgil heard a small thank you as another slice of cake was dispersed.

“I have.” Roman admitted. “But you never know when a particular color scheme may hit in just the right way.”

Logan snorted. “It’s just the common room. As long as all the pieces are there, what does it matter what colors things are?”

“What does it matter!?” Roman stood up.

Virgil sighed, leaned his head back as he slipped the tangle toy back into his pocket.

_How much longer can I keep everyone here in one room?_

In truth these where his favorite times of the day: When everyone in his little family was in the same room. He felt less…

_Defenseless, susceptible, weak_

Less alone when everyone was around. He had tuned out the bickering between Logan and Roman as he just enjoyed the company. Eventually it was decided that a movie would be played, to wile away the last few hours of the evening.

“Is that OK with you Virgil?” Logan asked the air behind him.

“Yep.” Virgil answered with the accompanying wave from behind the sofa.

Eventually, after way too much deliberation, Wall-E was started. Virgil peeked up from behind the sofa and looked at the clock. 7:03 in red letters under the TV.

_Wall-E is what, an hour and a half?_

He glanced around the living room the rest of the sides looking at the movie. With a sofa and a leather chair the living room could accommodate all of them with ease. But there was always one person who sat by themselves.

_Usually me._

Sometimes Logan would sit by himself with a book. Tonight Roman had taken the leather chair with his legs draped off of one puffy arm, all his magazines draped around him. Patton had made himself cozy tucked into the fluffy left arm of the sofa. Logan sat still upright with his book placed next to him on the cushion between him and Patton. Virgil slipped back down to his spot behind the sofa.

_Less than two hours left._

As the last of the music played from the movie Patton stood up and stretched. “I’ll see you guess at 9!” he made his way back to the kitchen.

Logan lingered for a few more moments’ before standing up himself. “Please keep to the schedule Roman. Do not go past 9.”

“Yes I hear you.” Roman’s answered with glossy pages flipping.

Virgil watched as Logan made his way up the stairs.

_Maybe if I am quiet, Roman will forget I am here…_

_Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?_

Before Virgil could make up his mind Roman called out, “Hey, I have to get started now, full night and all…” Roman sounded hesitant to kick Virgil out from his spot.

“It’s OK, I was just headed out anyway.” Virgil stood up slowly, and made his way down to the den.

He opened the room to the usual evening summer sunset that made the room glow softly. He closed the door behind him and flopped on his bed. He took the tangle toy from his pocket to put back on his nightstand and saw a slice of cake with a note from Patton.

“In case you get late night snacky!”

Virgil smiled to himself and ran his hand through his hair.

_I can do this. It is just one night._

What felt like an eternity later he looked at his phone for the time. 8:58am it read brightly.

_I can’t do this anymore. This has been the longest night._

_Second longest night._

Virgil had been pacing for the last hour, ready to leave to the living room. The feelings of…

_Trapped! Can’t get out! Flee!_

The feelings of loneliness where starting to get to him. Finally the time read 9:00 on his phone and he nearly ripped the door from the hinges as he ran up the wooden stairs.

_Isolated. Vulnerable. Need company._

He was the first to arrive into the living room. Roman was on the floor on his back, eyes glazed as they stared at the ceiling.

“Are you…ok?” Virgil asked. He had never seen the Creative Side in such a state.

“I will be!” Roman answered his hand covering his eyes. “This was a massive project and it took a lot of energy. I hope you like it.” His hand waved about the room. Virgil took a moment to take in how different it was. The carpet under his feet was fluffier. The sofa was turned into a chocolate brown U-shaped sectional. Virgil couldn’t help but take a step forward and touch the fabric. It was fluffy and soft.

_Like a teddy bear?_

There was a huge ottoman behind one side of the sectional and a new table in front of it. The whole room seemed bigger. He squinted his eyes and noticed at least 4 places he could squeeze his body into and hide. There were so many lamps as well. Blankets lay casually around the room, soft throw pillows were tossed into each arm of the sectional and each of the two corners. Virgil hated changes, and hated things that were different. But this…

_I don’t mind any of this._

“I don’t hate it.” Virgil said to the now groaning Roman.

“I am so happy you don’t hate it. I am going to crawl back to my room.” And true to his word Roman went up the stairs on his hands and knees. After Roman left there wasn’t anything for Virgil to do but sit and wait for the others to come down. He made his way to the only piece of furniture that was made for sitting in the room, the sectional. The two corner pieces looked extremely deep. He spied the one on his left side, with a good view to the stairs. He grabbed a purple blanket draped from the arm, and cuddled in the corner. His whole body fit, he wrapped the blanket around him and snuggled into the soft and cozy spot.

_I don’t mind this at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re a visual person I made floor plans!
> 
> <https://queroze-blog.tumblr.com/post/190202042536/the-before-and-after-floor-plans-for-chapter-6>
> 
> Thank you again for any comments and kudos! 


	7. Logan’s Poetry

Logan opened his door at precisely 9:06 am.

As he left his mini-space he nearly tripped on Roman who was sprawled lying face down on the floor in the hallway.

“Roman? Are you not well?” Logan crouched to take a better look at the face-down aspect.

“Ehhh, I’m so tired.” Roman’s voice muffed though the carpet.

“I had anticipated you requiring a recharge after such a feat, but this is beyond my projections.” Logan poked Roman’s shoulder. “I would advise you sink down into your actual part of the mind space. The higher concentration of your native energy will aid in your recovery.”

“mmmhmmm” Roman muttered.

“Was that an affirmative? I couldn’t…” Logan stalled as Roman sank down, presumably to his own corner of Thomas’s mind. “I deduce it was an affirmative.” Logan stood up and straightened his tie and made his was down the stairs. His first stop was to view the new common room Roman had spent the last 12 hours constructing. The room was subtly bigger. There were a number of new lights. The center piece of the room was a large sectional.

_Very impressive job, I need to make a metal note to give praise to Roman._

Looking around the room, dark browns and base colors melding together, a few colorful pillows broke up the warm monotony. His eyes rested on a large purple bundle in one corner of the sectional. Walking forward carefully he bent his head a little.

_Hypothesis: Virgil. Evidence: Purple blanket and hood of jacket over head. Conclusion: correct._

_Supplemental information: His eyes are closed._

Logan slowly backed away when he saw that. He didn’t think Virgil was sleeping. ( _Breaths are not deep enough to indicate a REM state.)_ But if he was comfortable enough to have his eyes closed, the plan was already having an effect. Logan went to the kitchen to put together his coffee and Crofter’s. After making his breakfast quickly and he came back into the common room with a mug in his right hand, a small plate with and in his left hand, and half a piece of toast with Crofter’s in his mouth. Logan heard Patton’s voice come from the sectional.

“I just didn’t like the feeling of not being able to come down whenever I wanted to, you know? Like on most nights I would have been in my room for around the same time, but I could always come out. I just didn’t like the feeling of not being able to.”

As Logan walked toward the sectional and Virgil’s hood came into view he could see it bobbing up and down in agreement. Logan chewed the crust of his toast thoughtfully. 

_I had predicted that this would be difficult, but I underestimated the effect. I will need to take record of all of the errors in my estimations._

“Good morning Logan!” Patton greeted Logan with his usual ray of morning sunshine.

Finishing his first half of toast Logan answered, “Crofter's. Coffee. Then conversation.”

Patton giggled. He jumped up just as Logan was sitting down. “Breakfast sounds like a great idea! I’ll bring you something Virgil?” A purple shrug answered.

Part of the plan the three of them had made the night before included being aware of who was in the room with Virgil. If they could manage it, allowing Virgil to stay in the room he currently occupied, with the balance of company he seemed to require. This meant taking shifts for meals or private room time. Another part of the plan had been to draft up a schedule to sleep in the common room, each side taking a different night. If Virgil was inclined to stay then he would have company. If he didn’t stay, then company would be awaiting him when he decided to return. Logan anticipated this would be a bit taxing to each of them, but if they cycled through and took the obligatory steps before hand to prepare it would be fine. Tonight was Logan’s night to stay.

Logan had warned Roman and Patton that they needed to be subtle about spending the night. That was part of his reasoning for taking the first shift. Roman would need real rest after expounding so much energy on the project. And by the time Patton would be participating in his shift, the plan would be more obvious through repetition, so Patton’s exuberance would be not as out of place.

 _I have accounted for nearly every variable._ _Virgil_ _will not find out until the plan has had a chance to work._

Logan himself had decided to take a causal approach to the whole affair. He would read until he “fell asleep”. While this happened infrequently, it happened enough that it wasn’t totally out of normal behavior. Logan settled in on the new piece of furniture.

 _I deduce I will not have to try hard to try and fall asleep tonight, because this is so flippin comfortable_.

Patton came out bringing two plates of pancakes, one for himself and one for Virgil. Two pale hands came out of the mass of purple blankets to take the plate of breakfast that was offered. For the first time that morning Logan got a good look at Virgil’s face. As Virgil and Patton ate their breakfast, Logan sipped his coffee, his Crofter's long gone already. He took a leather bound note book from his back pocket and jotted down some notes:

_I did not alert Patton to Virgil’s potentially waning demeanor. More evidence has come to light this morning: Virgil’s eye shadow is now completely gone. Whether this makeup is applied as part of his recharging process, or by Virgil’s own hand, this continues to prove that he has not gone to his own corner of Thomas’s mind, nor his mini-space in a very long time.(As I hypothesized previous: since his Experience with Deceit.) Side note: Virgil’s skin seems to be more transparent then past observations. This is deeply troubling coupled with the lack of eye shadow. Roman’s plan had better work, I fear the worst if it doesn’t._

Each of them wiled away the morning. Virgil not speaking in his bundle of blankets watching as Patton buzzed around the new room. It was nearly noon before Logan started to become antsy, not satisfied with merely taking notes.

 _While_ _breaks are important in ones routine, I have been idle_ _for longer than I am typically accustomed._

As Logan was attempting to think of an activity to keep his mind busy, he heard a clattering from the stairs made him turn his attention.

“Good morning my beauties!” Roam came down to the common area full of energy.

“Roman! Are you feeling better? Logan said you were so tired! The room looks amazing! _Mush-roomyer_!”

_As in….?_

“A mushroom!?!? Get it?!” Patton’s unending positivity was beaming from his side of the sectional.

Logan groaned. But over his groan he heard Virgil stifle a chuckle. While Roman was announcing his presence and asking what everyone thought of the new remolded common room, Logan took one last quick note. It was highly unlikely he would get another chance to write any notes until he took his planned afternoon break, before coming back for the night. He wrote quickly:

_While I find Patton’s endless puns and dad jokes to be vexing, Virgil vulnerable state may benefit’s from the Heart’s attempts at levity. I shall keep my own displeasure at a verbal minimum. I do not wish to discourage anything that may assist our companion in his healing process._

Logan was putting his pen and note book down on the coffee table when Roman turned to him.

“And Logan, what do you think?” Roman seemed to have asked the other two, Patton head was still nodding enthusiastically with his answer. Logan’s eyes glanced around the room as adjusted the pen next to his notebook carefully. “It is ideal.”

“I knew you would love it!” Roman seemed to explode from the praise. “Oh! There is a project I didn’t get done because I wanted your help with it! The lights! We have so many! At least 8…or was it 10?” Roman started counting on his fingers, but lost track and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What I wanted to do was to connect them to a single remote with premade settings! Like theater! Or napping! Or reading! You know, stuff like that!” Roman was out of breath when he finished. Logan felt like he had been punched in the face with a thousand exclamation points.

He took a deep breath. “I would like to help you. Can you show me where each light is, then we can optimize each setting for maximum functionality.” Roman spent the next hour pointing out each new lamp, sconce, can-light and lighting fixture he had installed.

“You put lights under the sofa? That’s unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

“Is that a hidden sconce? That is very clever Roman.”

“Why is there a red light under the coffee table?” Logan couldn’t figure out what possessed Roman to put a light in that spot.

“It can stay on overnight, so that you don’t dazzle your eyes, and you don’t hit the coffee table with your shins!” Roman responded by bringing his right knee to his chest and pointing at the offended body part.

“That actually makes a lot of sense, from a scientific point of view.”

After cataloging all the lighting that Roman had installed ( _27 new light fixtures to be precise._ ) Roman produced a blank piece of plastic. It was in the shape of a remote, but had not a single button. Logan looked at it with interest. “What is the function of that device?”

“We figure out what kind of setting we want to work on. You tell me what lights and lamps would work best for that, I create a button. Blammo! Remote controlled lighting!”

“That is very efficient.” Logan said approving.

“You guys are so cute working together!” Patton called from the sectional. He had his elbows on the back of a cushion holding his head in his hands. His eyes were glued to the two sides collaborating. “I love watching you two work! Like you how worked last…” Patton’s eyes widened as he suddenly stopped talking.

_Did Virgil notice? Patton is unable to lie directly. I must say something._

“How we worked last week on that video for Thomas. Yes Patton, I remember. I was there.” Logan glanced over to Virgil. Virgil was looking at Patton, then met Logan’s gaze. His eyes narrowed.

_Hypothesis: Virgil is aware something is amiss._

_Action: distract Virgil_

“What setting should we do first Virgil?” Logan asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from any past projects Roman and himself had worked on. Virgil took a moment. He hadn’t said a word all morning. He took the question in and chewed on his nail. “Maybe….Start with the brightest then work your way down?” he suggested tentatively.

Patton looked over at Virgil carefully reading his face. “That’s a great idea! We should do that!”

Logan was not envious of the other Sides often. But in the case of Patton, in this moment, being able to pick up on whatever happened to be going on with Virgil’s feelings: Logan desperately wanted to know. His fingers itched at the data he was currently missing out on. Instead he replied directly to Virgil’s idea. “The Logic in that idea is sound.”

“Don’t you mean _light_?” Patton asked, his eyes wide trying to convey something Logan was unable to pick up on.

“No. I meant sound. As in: The argument that Virgil is presenting is valid.” Logan said flustered.

“But he was talking about the lights!” Patton literally slapped his knee. Reminding himself of his earlier note and noticing that Virgil was smiling, his swallowed a groan with his lips tight.

“Well let’s do it, Doctor Do-Lite!” Roman pushed on.

Logan and Roman worked on each setting starting from every light on to every light off. Each new setting they made created a corresponding button on the new remote. Each button had a small pictograph of the activity the lighting was best suited to: there was a TV, a chess piece, an open book, a button with 3 “Z”s on it, and many more, over two dozen in all. In all their work they had even found a specific lighting style that each of them proclaimed as their favorite. Each of these had their personalized emblems as a pictograph on the remote.

After their work was done Logan checked the time. It was nearly 6. ( _5:56 to be exact.)_ Logan had planned to take a small recharge break before coming back down for overnight shift. He would have to go now if he was to get a few hours in.

“While this was very engaging, I have some private…”

“Biscuits?”Patton asked hopefully.

“Projects.” Logan glared. “Some private projects that need my attention. I will be back in a couple of hours.” Logan glanced at Virgil. He was changing the lights, trying all the settings with the new remote.

Satisfied Logan headed upstairs. But as he closed the door of his mini-space he was less then pleased. He had projected taking at least 3 hours in the evening to recharge. But now he was only down to two.

_Perhaps I will take my own advice to Roman this morning and recharge in my own corner of Thomas mind. It has been a significant amount of time since I have been in my own “room” so away from the common mind space._

Deciding that is what he would do, he sank out of the bedroom sized space, and rose up into his own version of where Thomas was at that moment. Thomas happened to be in his common room, so that’s what Logan saw. He suddenly felt a rush of tingling in his mind. It almost made him light headed to absorb all of the energy in his room so suddenly.

_Somewhere between a bolt of lightning, a jolt of caffeine and learning something brand new._

He picked up a few books to take back with him when he went back to the common area. He piled them up, and then he just sat down crossed legged on the floor. While his mini-space he kept sparse, his actual room was covered in graphs, books, and papers. It was a cluttered mess. And to Logan it was home. He set an alarm for two hours from now and started to meditate.

A soft alarm alerted him from his breathing. Logan grabbed his books and headed back to the common area. He dropped the majority of the books off into his mini space and headed to the common area. _I estimate there will be an hour, maybe two before the other two Sides head to bed._

Logan came down the stairs with his a slim hardcover book tucked into his arm. Virgil was still in his corner, kneading some putty. Patton and Roman were sitting on the floor playing battleship on the new coffee table.

“A1! I’m going to _steak_ it to you!” Patton cried out triumphant.

“Miss!” Roman responded with a jab in the air.

“Awwww, I thought for sure that would hit something!” Patton slumped dejected.

“If one is playing strategically Patton, one would avoid the corners.” Logan declared as a way of announcing his presence from the stairs.

“Really?” Patton looked down at his own ships with alarm.

“A1?” Roman guessed, his eyes squinting devilishly with the new found information.

“Hit….” Patton sighed.

Logan chuckled to himself and took a seat at the armrest closest the stairs and propped open his book on his knees. Not engrossed his text yet, he watched amused as Patton quickly lost a game of battleship. Logan didn’t enjoy the schadenfreude of watching Patton lose games, but the way he lost was amusing in this case.

“I thought the ships made a cute _pat-tern_?” Virgil snorted behind Patton at the self referential pun.

After a few more board games Roman and Patton headed up to their own mini-spaces for rest and sleep. Logan had gotten comfortable, changing his position on the sectional from sitting to lying down along its length, across the way from Virgil. Now the room had lost two loudest Sides, the quiet was almost deafening. Glancing up from his book Logan peaked over at the bundled Side in the corner. They didn’t make eye contact, but Logan thought that Virgil had been looking at him until a moment ago. Logan went back to his book. He had decided to bring down one of his favorites.

“What are you reading?” Virgil asked breaking the quiet of the room.

“Astronomical prose.” Logan answered purposely not looking up.

“What?” Virgil asked confused.

Logan sighed. “Space poetry.”

“Oh.” Virgil’s word hung in the air.

“Would you like…”

“Would you mind…”

Both of them had started to talk simultaneously. Logan made eye contact then. “Would you like me to read some aloud?”

“Yes.”

“If you’ll allow me to change the lighting?” At Virgil’s nod Logan choose the light setting best optimized to late night reading. Most lights were off, but for a few select lamps that best lit the book in his lap. Logan cleared his throat. Keeping his voice low and steady he started to read:

“ _Quasar_

_quasar whirls and twirls_

_gasses spiraling-_

_radioactive_

_radio waves pour_

_from space-_

_Secretions unknown_

_light-swords_

_slice the fabric of space-_

_messages arrive_

_nucleus phone call_

_galaxies interacting-_

_universal chat_ ”

“Wow…that was pretty good.” Virgil sounded surprised.

“Would you like me to read another?” Logan was trying to gage Virgil’s enjoyment, but wasn’t sure he had liked the impromptu reading.

“Sure...yeah.” Virgil seemed to be answering honestly.

“This is one of my favorites: It depicts the voyage that Newton’s soul takes after his demise. It is a bit long though.” Logan wasn’t sure the effect such a lengthy verse would have on Virgil.

_Hypothesis: Virgil did not rest well due to being alone all night last night._

“It’s OK.” Virgil said shrugging.

Logan nodded. Starting in a low slow cadence he started to read:

“ _Ten thousand worlds blaze forth; each with his train_

_Of peopled worlds. . . ._

_But how shall mortal wing_

_Attempt this blue profundity of Heaven,_

_Unfathomable, endless of extent!_ ”

Logan paused here taking a breath. He chanced a glimpse toward Virgil who had tucked away his putty into his pocket, and looked like he was now relaxing.

“ _Where unknown suns to unknown systems rise,_

_Whose numbers who shall tell? stupendous host!_

_Sun beyond sun, and world to world unseen,_

_Measureless distance, unconceiv'd by thought!_ ”

Logan stole another glace. Virgil still bundled in his jacket and blankets now had his eyes closed.

“ _Awful their order; each the central fire_

_Of his surrounding stars, whose whirling speed,_

_Solemn and silent, through the pathless void,_

_Nor change, nor errour knows. But, their ways,_

_By reason, bold adventurer, unexplor'd,_ ”

Looking toward Virgil again, he could see that he had slumped over a bit and had become more horizontal in his positioning.

“ _Instructed can declare! What search shall find_

_Their times and seasons! their appointed laws,_

_Peculiar! their inhabitants of life,_

_And of intelligence, from scale to scale_

_Harmonious rising and in fix'd degree;_

_Numerous orders, each resembling each,_

_Yet all diverse!_ ”

Logan took a true pause here. He was about half way through the poem, but Virgil’s deep breathing suggested that he had fallen asleep. Logan skipped to the last line whispering to himself:

_“The source of day expire, and all his worlds_

_At once involv'd in everlasting night!”_

Quietly Logan switched the lighting nearly dark, but with the red light under the coffee table still on. Putting the book down carefully on the table, he took off his glasses, and placed them on top of the small hard cover that held every space poem that Thomas had ever read.

“Sleep peacefully.” Logan whispered.

Then Logan himself laid on his back with his hands intertwined on his chest and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the poems Logan reads:
> 
> https://allpoetry.com/poem/14395525-Quasar-by-Writinstuffs  
> http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/TextRecord.php?action=GET&textsid=38000


	8. Roman’s Art

Roman couldn’t sit still.

Still on the creative high from remodeling the living room, Roman felt as though he had energy for some creative pursuit, but nowhere to funnel it. Thomas was working on the nitty-gritty parts of his current project. Something that Logan was much better suited for. Roman wanted to make something, _anything._ To create something that didn’t exist before or improve something that hadn’t been thought of in ages. Roman paced in his room.

It was morning. _Morning is pretty generous. It is nearly 1._ He hadn’t yet made his appearance public for the day, instead sleeping in and then trying to think of something to direct his energies into. _I am getting nowhere. I need an audience or a muse. Or both._

After putting his outfit together to perfection in the mirror Roman headed out of his room and down to the living room.

“Good Morning, Usnavi!” Roman sang to the room as way of greeting.

“Pan caliente, café con leche!” Patton finished the line from the kitchen.

“It is technically afternoon Roman.” Logan acknowledged by way of correction from the sofa. He was lying along the closest part of the sectional. He looked like he had just woken up, glasses askew and his nose in a slender hard bound book.

“Hey Roman.” Virgil waved his hand from under the bundle of blankets he had claimed the day before.

“Was everyone comfortable in the new cozy cuddly creation?” Roman needed to hear that his hard work was appreciated.

“Logan fell asleep on it last night.” Virgil smirked from under his hood.

_That was the plan. Time to put on my actor face._

“Did he now?” Roman tried to act surprised.

“Yes. The new furniture is satisfactory for sleeping.” Logan finally looked up from his book and made eye contact with Roman as he descended the stairs and made his way into the living room proper. Logan's hair was sticking out in all directions, his shirt was deeply wrinkled and he looked, over all, a bit of a mess.

“I can tell.” Roman gestured toward his own perfectly coiffed hair.

Logan put his hand to his head, eyes widening. “Oh sh….” He jumped up, and looked down at himself, taking in every wrinkle. His tie was so askew that no amount of adjustments could save it. “I require grooming.” He went hastily went up the stairs.

“Aw Princey! You ruined it. I was going to see how long we could go before he noticed.” Virgil teased playfully.

“If its one thing a Prince can respect, it is self grooming habits.” Roman adjusted his sash as he sat in the middle section of the U shaped sofa. “How do you know he slept here last night? You are not usually an early riser.” Roman asked nonchalantly while adjusting his already perfect shoulder tassels.

“I, uh, slept here too.” Virgil said as he hid his lower half of his face under his blankets.

“If Pocket Protector can fall asleep on it, I would expect nothing less from the rest of you!” Roman made a grand gesture toward the mostly empty living room.

“Oh?” Virgil’s eyebrows went up

“Well duh, that is what I designed it for, maximum sleepage. And cuddles. And moving watching. Really ultimate relaxing.” Roman put his hands behind his head and his feet on the table to demonstrate.

“It worked. Out like a light.” Virgil was looking at him oddly.

Patton entered the room wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. “Lunch will be ready in just a bit… hey! Where did Logan go?”

“Personal grooming.” Roman answered gesturing with an invisible hair brush.

Patton laughed. “Aw! I was going to see how long it took him to notice!”

Virgil chocked back a laugh behind his blankets.

The afternoon passed with lunch, teasing, and Roman desperately trying to find something to do with all his leftover creative energies.

“No, I do not think starting a wall sized mural would be wise at this time.”

“Aw kiddo, I don’t think you really want to learn how to animate to just to make an animatic for the song _A Thousand Years_ ”

“Princey. It is not a good idea to put together a flash mob by this weekend.”

By dinnertime Roman was going crazy with undirected effort. “There has to be something I can do!” He fell dramatically on the sectional.

“You did do something. You created all of this.” Logan gestured at the living room.

“I know.” Roman whined. “But I want to do another thing!”

Patton looked at Roman directly. Roman squirmed under Patton’s gaze. _I hate it when he does that. It feels like he is looking into my soul or something._ “Did you go into your room last night?”

That wasn’t the question that Roman was expecting. “What?”

Logan wasn’t expecting the question either because his “What?” came out at the same time as Roman’s.

“Your actual room. Did you go to your corner of Thomas’s mind?” Patton asked clarifying his question.

Roman could feel Virgil shift two cushions over.

“Yeah, I did. Logan suggested it after I spent the night building this. I thought another full night would help recharge my batteries.” Roman couldn’t see where this was going.

“And it has maybe been a while since you have been in your proper room?” Patton prodded.

“Well, sure. Logan said nightly rest in our bedrooms…”

“Mini spaces.” Logan corrected.

“Bedrooms would be fine. Why Padre?” Roman felt like this was leading somewhere.

“It could be that so long away has made its effect on you a bit stronger?” Patton suggested.

“Patton! You are absolutely correct. I spent 2 hours in my own corner of Thomas mind yesterday evening and I found it to be extremely stimulating.” Logan interjected. “Imagine if I had slept all night there? This must be what is leading to Roman’s unbound creative energy. I must take notes.” A notebook suddenly appeared in his hands, and he was scribbling away.

“That’s all this is Roman. Maybe we can do a small creative thing this evening, to take the edge off so to speak, then if your still feeling this way, we can tackle a bigger project later!” Patton clapped his hands excitedly.

“That is a fantastic idea! Where to start?” Roman put his hand to his chin, deep in thought.

“Would you like this to be a solo endeavor or a group project?” Logan asked, not looking up from his scribbling.

“A group thing would be fun…” Roman felt pieces starting to click together. “If you guys were interested?”

“That would be great!” Patton exclaimed happily

“It would be interesting to see how something would turn out with all of our input.” Logan agreed

“Sure.” An answer came from the lump in the sofa that was Virgil.

“A project, that would only take a few hours, that all of us could be included in….” Roman finally felt like he had something to grab on to. _Art is made in the borders._

“That’s it! How about we make a piece of art for the living room?” Roman exclaimed.

“A piece of art?” Logan looked uncertain

“What do you have in mind Roman?” Patton asked.

“Like a picture… but maybe something we all contribute to. We could each take a section and do something very distinctly us! We could use paint or pens or markers or…”

“Crayons?!?” Patton asked excitedly already with a box of 152 crayons conjured in his hand.

Roman’s dismissed the interruption with a wave of his hand “Yes, crayons would be fine or colored pencils or…”

“.4 mm fine tipped black pens?” Logan asked hopefully, with 3 identical pens in between each of his fingers.

Roman nodded his head in frustration, “Yes of course. That’s fine too. Or calligraphy pens or water colors or pastels or…”

“How about…” Virgil interrupted quietly his face peeking out from his hood.

Roman closed his eyes and breathed slowly out his nose to calm himself from being interrupted, _again_. He then opened his eyes and looked directly at Virgil in his blankets. “Go on.”

“I was just wondering would charcoals be och?” he hadn’t yet summoned anything to illustrate his point.

“Well yeah, Virge, anything you want to use as a medium would be wonderful. I just wish you guys…” Roman glared at Logan and turned back to Virgil, “Would have chosen something with more color.” Roman interrupted himself with a stroke of an idea. “No! This is perfect!”

“It is?” Virgil asked now uncertain.

“Yes! You and Logan’s designs will be kitty-corner…”

“Meow!” Patton piped up from counting his crayons.

“…from each other. And with Patton and me using more color, the composition of the piece will be balanced!” Roman finished with a flourish. “We just need a large enough canvas!” With a bout of his own summoning Roman summoned a large canvas, about 50 inches square. “This will be perfect. About 2 feet square each to do our artistic work, with room for a border.”

“A border?” Logan asked checking the tips of his pens.

“Yeah! We could have a border of each of our works done by someone else…” Roman started

“Like a yin-yang!” Patton exclaimed.

“What? No… more like each of us is balanced by everyone else. We could divide the top and bottom border further. So say Logan with his monochromatic art has me and Patton…”

“Patton and I” Logan corrected

“Do his top and side borders.”

“Like a yin-yang!” Patton insisted.

“No, like balance.” Roman glared at Patton’s constant outburst.

“Balance. Like a yin-yang.” Virgil pointed out quietly. “I got what you meant the first time Patton.” Virgil nodded his head to Patton, who was now sorting his crayons by color.

“Sure, fine, like a yin-yang.” Roman conceded. Gathering up his gumption again he asked his family, “What do you think?”

“I’m ready!” Patton said proudly, sitting on his knees in front of a rainbow of meticulously sorted crayons lying in a perfect line.

Logan looked astonished, “Wow, Patton that’s very…”

“Gay?” Roman and Virgil simultaneously chimed in.

“Well, yes.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “But I was going to say magnificently organized.”

“Aw thanks Logan! I just love crayons.” Patton said bouncing on his knees.

Logan adjusted his tie. “I am ready as well. I will take the top corner if that is OK with everyone. I can make my design upside down without any difficulty. My design doesn’t have an orientational preference.”

“I have an orientational preference!” Roman exclaimed, his knee-jerk joke flying out of his mouth. He said deadpanned. “I’m gay. But also my design has an up and down as well.”

“Riiight.” Virgil uncovered himself. “I guess I’ll take the bottom corner kitty-corner…”

“Meow meow” Patton interjected.

“…from you Logan. I also have an orientational preference.” Virgil looked slyly at Roman. Virgil then turned his attention to Patton, “Patton? It sounds like your right above me? Is that alright?”

“Sure! I was thinking about something kinda loopy anyway, I can work with any orientation.”

Virgil made cocked his eyebrow at Roman. Roman had to keep down a laugh.

“It’s settled then!” Roman put the canvas on the ground so they could all reach. Patton didn’t move, but rather all the other Sides moved around him. Virgil finally summoned a set of charcoals and they all went to work.

Roman had settled on acrylic paint for his section. Summoning a paint pallet with a rainbow of basic colors, a large variety of bushes to accompany, and a red beret and apron to complete his look Roman went to work on his quarter of the canvas. Painting next to Virgil with his charcoals distracted Roman for a few moments; the darker side selected a pencil from his set, and stated to create lines. His face was concentrated, with his eye brows furrowed, hood up, and bangs covering most of his face. Roman glanced at Patton and Logan across the canvas. Patton, all smiles and true to his word, started to make a loopy design in the middle of his section. Logan on the other hand had summoned some kind of plastic gears and ruler to go with his black pens. Roman shook his head. _No time to worry about what they are doing I must create my masterpiece!_

And create he did. He wanted to craft a colorful composition of courage. He started with a stark white hero in the center on a warm background. The hero figure, as Roman painted, had a sword. You could only see the back of the figure, but the hero was facing toward Virgil’s side of the canvas. The figure was framed by a tree with no leaves, standing on a rocky hill and looked like it was about to enter a grand fight. Using some medium bushes and some bright gold paint, Roman added accents to the hero, and to the background. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finished, but as he took a step back from his work to stretch his sore back, he saw the others still working hard on their sections of the canvas.

Logan was carefully measuring and mumbling to himself, while adding some notes to his notebook. Nothing had actually marred his pristine white section of the canvas. _He must have quite the process._ Roman rolled his eyes to himself. Taking a look at Patton’s work bowled Roman over. His entire section had erupted in a mix of the most colorful work he had ever seen. There was no actual design to the madness, just a riot of color. Not a single iota of the white canvas shown through from underneath the thick layer of crayon wax that Patton had applied. Seemly satisfied Patton had stepped back to admire his creation. He then summoned the biggest black crayon that Roman had ever seen and started to go over the cacophony of color with it. Roman gasped. _He can’t! It’s too beautiful!_ He put his hand to his mouth to keep Patton from being distracted from his effots. He ripped his eyes from the massacre of color and turned to Virgil next to him. Virgil’s fingers and hands where covered in his charcoals. He rubbed his nose as he shaded. Following the movement Roman was stuck by the fact the Virgil’s _hood was_ _down!_ Maybe it had fallen during a moment of concentration, but Virgil hadn’t bothered to fix it. _This is progress! Our plan is working!_ Roman had nearly squealed in delight to himself, but much like his feelings about Patton’s _process_ , he knew if he had made too much noise he would break the spell that had enraptured them all. Instead he tried to take a peek at the work that Virgil was hovering over. He couldn’t make out a lot, due to the emo covering most of it with his body, but he noticed sharp edges and a lot of grey.

Roman looked back down on his own creation. He was quite happy with it. The white clothing of the hero against the background of a warm sunset framed by a leafless tree: It was perfection. He decided to walk away for a few moments to get a drink of water. The best thing to do with a creative piece is to let it breathe before deciding one was fully finished. _Giving_ _an artist a chance to come back with fresh eyes._ He took his time walking quietly to the kitchen and let the silence of the space enter his bones. After flexing his creative juices he felt at ease, more than he had all day. _That was a good idea. I will have to thank Patton later._ Putting his glass under the running water Roman reflected on Virgil’s hood for a moment. _A very good idea indeed._

After finished his glass of water and putting the empty glass in the sink he went back out to the other three surrounding the canvas. Virgil had leaned back and was taking in his work. He flipped his bangs out of his eyes with a flick of his head to take a better look at his creation. Roman could see his face was covered with grey smudges and streaks from his hands rubbing his face. Roman smiled at himself. As he walked over he saw that Patton’s quarter was now entirely black. He was still going to town with that back crayon though, tongue sticking out as he layered on the wax. Roman sighed. Taking his place at his quadrant he looked over to Logan. Pen in one hand and ruler in the other it looked like he was about to make a move on his blank canvas. Roman shrugged and looked down at his own art.

He was less happy with it now. Sure he had gotten the board strokes of his idea on the canvas. But he thought it could use some detail. He had turned to his brushes and saw the most of the smaller ones hadn’t even been used yet. He added details, cracks, crevices with small points of paint to enhance his creation. He had lost track of time again when he had gotten done. Roman backed away from his complete work of art flexing his fingers and stretching his neck. _Now it is perfect._ The details he had added created a depth that wasn’t there before. _And this is why we take a break and come back._ He thought self satisfied. 

“I think… I think I am done.” Roman turned to the low voice next to him. Virgil had also backed away from the canvas a couple of steps. Even more charcoal was smudged on his face, and his hood was still down. A messy hand still held a charcoal stick, his arm hung limp at his side. Roman made eye contact with the side.

“I’m finished as well.” he whispered as to not bother the other two working. Virgil nodded, backing up just another step, as if coming out of a daze. “Would you like to get a drink?” Roman asked carefully. He didn’t want to spook the tender moment that still seemed to be working its magic. Virgil nodded again. They made their way to the kitchen.

Roman saw that Virgil had a faraway look in his face. Roman knew what that look meant. It was something that Roman himself was feeling right now. Everyone had a different phase for it. _Being right sided, in the zone, in the art. Or as the great John Green had said: being in Cheyenne Wyoming._ That’s what Roman was feeling right now, and by the look on Virgil’s face that’s what the Storm Cloud was also experiencing. Roman doubted that this was something Virgil experienced often. _Not a lot of opportunity to be in the zone, when you’re afraid of doing too good of a job at your job._ Roman watched as Virgil, zombie like, grabbed a glass and filled it from the sink. He took a long drink, and sighed.

“You OK there Black Ember?” Roman asked casually.

“Oh!” Virgil looked surprised, as if he had forgotten someone else was there. “Yeah, just…” he shook his head and rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. “I dono…”

“You’re in the zone. Happens all the time. How about you wash your face and hands? That should help?” Roman knew this would break the spell that creating something had put Virgil under. But Roman also knew from experience that it wasn’t good to stay right sided too long after creating.

“Wash my face and hands?” Virgil looked down at his hands, completely covered in charcoal. He caught his reflection in the darkened kitchen window, touching his face then hood he replied, “Oh…yeah…that’s not a bad idea.” he headed down to the den, to refresh himself. Roman sighed. While he was happy that Virgil seemed a little like his old self he was also worried that breaking the spell that creating had put him under would erase the progress completely. Roman shrugged. _Nothing to be done about it now_.

He went back to the living room to check on the other two. As he entered he saw both Logan and Patton had backed away from their art. They were quietly chatting with each other as Roman came upon them.

“You totally copied what I did!” Roman heard Patton exclaim.

“Falsehood. It was a mere coincidence that our designs are similar.” Logan adjusted his glasses defensively.

Roman entered the room with a flourish, “What’s going on?”

Without speaking both Sides pointed to the others art. Roman followed their points and saw for the first time the complete piece of work the four of them had spent the last few hours working on. What he assumed was Logan’s was a fine lined round spirograph that took up the entire quadrant. The fine detail as the repeating pattern filled the white page was impressive. There were starburst type lines coming from the center and were staggered up and out. Not a single line went directly from the center to the edge, instead where one set of starburst lines stopped another set started, Four staggered sets of lines in all.

Looking at its companion piece of Patton’s Roman could see the similarities. There were circles. But that’s where the parallels stopped. The riot of color that Patton had put down, with a layer of black on top, Patton had carefully scratched the black away to reveal the color underneath. The pattern was abstract, a little wobbly, but amazing in its own right. Four circles with loops and wiggles inside each one, different, but complementary. In the negative space of the circles Patton had painstakingly carved out hundreds of little dots. It was breath taking in its simple complexity. _Much like Logan’s actually._

“While the two are alike,” Roman started watching the other Sides glare at each other, “they couldn’t be more different I think. There are many differences right?”

“Well, yeah…” Patton started looking at Logan’s more closely.

“I would have never made something like that” Logan admitted.

“That’s art!” Roman exclaimed.

“You and Virgil were differently working together!” Patton pointed at the bottom two pieces.

Roman saw for the first time Virgil’s black and grey composition. It was a dragon. Wings, spines, teeth and rocks and so many sharp corners dominated the design. The dragon was sitting on a rock facing Roman’s own art. The expression looked a cross between amused and about to breathe fire, like it was trying to decide what to do with the hero next door. There wasn’t an iota of white canvas to be seen, the lightest color a very light gray. Roman was incredibility impressed. He hadn’t been aware the Emo had such art skills. Just as he had finished taking a first impression of the piece in head foot steps behind him coming from the den. Turning around Roman saw Virgil come into the room, face cleaned, and hood back up in place.

“Hey.” He greeted the group as he looked at the finished piece. “Dang guys, this is really good. Sorry I ruined it with my thing.” Virgil gestured toward the amazing dragon he created.

Roman stared at Virgil his mouth open. “I never knew you could draw so good.”

“So well.” Logan corrected him.

“See even Specs thinks it’s good too.” Roman gestured toward Logan.

“It is really good, even if it’s a little scary.” Patton added. “Plus it goes so well with Roman’s!”

“Oh? I hadn’t noticed…” Virgil chuckled to himself. “I thought mine was obvious and on the nose, but not as bad as Princey’s self portrait!”

Roman was deeply offended. “There is no way that is me. I don’t…well…my sword is different.” He looked closer to the hero figure in the painting. _I really did do a self insert._ “Yeah well…it meant to symbolize me, so what better to symbolize me then me?”

“We should let everything dry before we do anything else. It is becoming late.” Logan checked his watch significantly. Roman took the hint and glanced at a clock. _By Cinderella it’s nearly midnight!_

Patton yawned, “I’mma going to bed then.”

“I must concur.” Logan and Patton headed up the stairs, leaving Virgil and Roman to sort themselves out.

“I cannot sleep in my room tonight!” Roman announced as he twirled into his pajamas. “I finally got rid of most of my excess creative energy, and I don’t want to go over the top unless I have an actual project to work on.” He looked at the soft sectional; “Anyway Logan made it look so comfortable, I think I should have a go and try out my hard work!”

Not looking back at Virgil, Roman pulled a number of red and gold blankets from the ottoman behind the sectional. He then summoned a pillow to put on the far side from where Logan had ended up sleeping the night before. He laid his head on one arm of the sectional, and his feet nearly touching the corner cushion where Virgil had been working to make an imprint for the last 24 hours. _Perfect measurements._ He congratulated himself, relaxing with his eyes closed into the super soft fabric. He peeked one eye open a moment later and saw Virgil standing with one hand crossing his body holding his elbow, as he avoided making eye contact with Roman, the floor apparently being more interesting then Roman’s face.

“Hey Knight Light, I’m not kicking you from your spot.” Roman gestured toward the purple blanket still hanging on the back of the corner. “I’m just enjoying the fruits of my labor.”

“Oh? It is really comfortable.” Virgil glanced at Roman daring him to say something.

“Of course, I intended it to be that way.” Roman settled in further. “Do you mind turning down the lights a bit?” he said gesturing wildly to all the lamps around. “While I do love a lamp, too many can be a bit much.”

By way of answering Virgil hopped back into his corner and pressed a button on the remote. Most of the lights went off, except for the red light under the coffee table.

Without another word, Roman fell asleep and had the best dreams he had had in a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the video that discusses John Green's creative process, and being in Cheyenne Wyoming:  
> https://youtu.be/G7XppUsqiEs
> 
> my visual references to the art in this chapter:
> 
> <https://queroze-blog.tumblr.com/post/190374180046/bound-by-family-queroze-sanders-sides-web>  
> 


	9. Patton’s super-special-sleep-over-hot-coco

Patton was excited.

He looked again at the schedule Logan had made. Circled in a bright blue crayon was his name. _Tonight is the night I get to have a sleep over with Virgil!_ He had his cat onesie hanging up ready and his super-special-sleep-over-hot-coco mugs were cleaned. A shoebox of small crafts and movies was packed for any sort of activities that Virgil may want to do. He even had spent the last night in his own corner of Thomas’s mind to fully prepare. (That had been Logan’s suggestion.) After touching each item again, being sure it was ready for tonight’s festivities with Virgil, Patton sunk out to head to the family room.

Rising up silently he heard Roman snoring loudly. Sneaking to take a closer look, he saw that one leg hung to the floor and one arm was dangling on the back of the sectional. Checking on Virgil he saw that he was curled up in a ball of blankets in the same corner he had been in for the last few days. He was fully laying down, rather than propped up. One of Virgil’s socked feet was touching the one foot of Roman’s that was on stretched out on the furthest cushion. _This is progress!_ Patton made his way to the kitchen.

It was usually a race to see who awake first between Patton and Logan. But Patton almost always made it to the family room first. He started the electric kettle. Most mornings everyone fended for themselves for breakfast. Cold cereal, toast, and the like. But this morning Patton wanted to make something for everyone. _Waffles. Everyone likes waffles!_

He put the batter together quickly and got the waffle iron out. He heard the kettle finish, and went to pour himself a chai tea, his usual morning drink. As he was starting the first waffle in the iron, Logan came in.

“Waffles?” Logan asked. Before his morning coffee Logan spoke in only single word sentences.

“Yeppers! Water is hot for you.” Patton pointed to the still steaming kettle. 

“Sufficient.” Logan walked zombie-like to the cupboard of hot drinks. He grabbed the French press and ground coffee and began his morning routine of making coffee. While Roman just conjured a fancy Starbucks drinks, (usually inspired by whatever Thomas had recently encountered) Patton knew that Logan enjoyed the manual nature of making his morning drink himself. _It is predicable, simple, and helps him focus for the day._ Not to mention the exact nature Logan usually put into his French press coffee making. Exactly 4 minutes, with the precise amount of coffee and water, and at the perfect temperature. _It’s no wonder Logan enjoys it._

Turning back to his waffles Patton put another finished waffle on the ever growing stack in the oven. By the time Logan’s timer dinged and his coffee poured into his favorite black coffee mug, Patton could hear movement in the family room. A thump, then a few heavy footsteps, the kitchen door opened, with a sleepy Virgil standing in the doorway. _My dark son wakes!_ His hood was up, a blanket hung about his shoulders, his face split open with a yawn, with a sleeve covered hand half-heartedly trying to cover said yawn. _He is just so adorable when he is waking up!_ Patton looked closer at his face in an attempt to gage how his night went. Patton nodded to himself with satisfaction as he added more batter to the waffle maker. _I think he slept well with Roman out there. He has looked more rested since we have been taking turns then he has in a while. I’m happy it seems to be helping._

“How you doing there kiddo? Ready for some breakfast?” Patton pointed to the newest cooked waffle.

“mmhmmm” Virgil, it seemed, was even less chatty then Logan in the mornings.

“Kettle is hot, if you want something?” Patton said nonchalantly, as he added another waffle to the teetering stack in the oven. Virgil wasn’t often social in the mornings, preferring pre-Troubles to stay in his room until lunch time. Patton was certain he was awake before then. _But maybe it took him that long to be up to talking to anyone_? And post-Troubles he often came up from the den first thing in the morning with an empty mug. Patton was sure Virgil required caffeine, or maybe a different hot drink to start his day.

“Coffee.” Virgil mumbled as he walked over to the kitchen counter. He looked around confused. “Coffee?” He asked the wet grounds of the now empty French press.

Logan now halfway through his mug, answered from the kitchen table. “I apologize Virgil; I was not aware you required approximately 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine in the mornings. Otherwise I would have made enough for two.”

“Coffee maker.” Virgil answered with his hand rubbing his face. “Where is your coffee maker?”

 _That’s a full sentence! More than Logan can do before his coffee!_ Patton amused himself with the thought.

“We do not have one. We have never had one.” Logan answered with certainly.

“But Roman’s…” Virgil gestured in front of him, miming a long skinny Starbucks cup.

“Oooh! He just conjures those! He is far too impatient to actually make coffee.” Patton answered, scrapping the last of the batter to make the smallest waffle of the batch.

“But…coffee?” Virgil looked like he was about to cry.

“How do you usually make coffee in the mornings Virgil?” Logan’s voice piped up, as Patton was moving closer to comfort the caffeine deprived side.

“I have a tiny coffee maker in…” Virgil caught himself, closing his eyes and making fists with his hands on the counter. Patton’s full attention was on Virgil now. _He was going to say his room._ “In…I summoned one in the den…” relaxing his hands flat on the counter he opened his eyes and looked at the French press as if it owed him money.

“Oh! Well that’s a simple solution then. Do you have a brand affiliation?” Logan asked as he finished off his coffee.

Virgil shook his head, still glaring at the French press.

Summoning from the dining room table, a coffee maker appeared next to the kettle. “A Mr. Coffee 4 cup brewer is what you are looking for correct?” Logan asked.

Virgil rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the newest addition on the kitchen counter. “Thanks.”

“It is nothing. If we were made aware of your needs sooner, we would be more than happy to accommodate them.” Logan said. _Logan means more than just the coffee maker._ Glancing at Virgil, Patton thought he had caught the double meaning of what Logan was saying as well. _Gosh I just want to hug him so bad! All the time!_

“Waffles are finished if you guys are ready for them?” Patton took a step back, giving Virgil his space to make his coffee.

“Yes Patton! I am quite hungry now.” Logan brought his empty mug to the sink and grabbed a plate. Patton lifted the heavy sheet of waffles, still warm from the oven, and put it on the stove for serving. He stood back, leaning against the far wall of the kitchen and took a sip of his creamy tea.

Virgil was fumbling with coffee grounds and water until eventually a percolating sound came from the tiny coffee maker. Logan had put two waffles on his plate and was now placing huge dollops of Crofter’s on each of them in turn. Roman burst through the kitchen door, paper Starbucks cup already in hand.

“Do I smell breakfast?” His eyes wide, he bee-lined toward the stack of waffles. Logan was still next to the stack, putting the perfect amount of fruit spread into each square of his own waffles. Virgil had grabbed one of his purple mugs from the cupboard and was putting cream and sugar into it. He then poured his coffee, now finished, into the mug. Roman grabbed an empty plate, stacked 3 waffles onto it, and reaching over Logan’s still bent frame, grabbed the Nutella from the shelf. Virgil leaned with his back on the counter, stirring his coffee with a spoon, and taking his first sip. Logan, finally satisfied with the ratio of Crofter’s to waffle, grabbed his plate in a quick motion and walked briskly to the kitchen table. Roman had sliced a banana onto the large pile of waffles and Nutella, and was now sprinkling pistachios from thin air onto his creation. Virgil, now relaxed with his coffee, eyed the stack of waffles hungrily. He grabbed an empty plate and put a waffle on it. Adding no toppings, he went quickly to the kitchen table to join Logan, who was licking his butter knife clean of jam. Roman finally finished his handiwork of breakfast joined Logan and Virgil. Logan was cutting each jam filled square carefully. Virgil was eating his dry waffle with his bare hands.

Grabbing an empty plate for himself, Patton couldn’t help but enjoy the whole breakfast scene that had played out in front of him. Putting the traditional butter and syrup on his single waffle, he joined the rest of his family at the kitchen table. _I just love them all so much!_

After they had all finished breakfast Roman suggested finishing the borders of the picture they had all worked on the night before. Logan agreed quickly. _Logan really dislikes an unfinished project._

The four of them went back to the piece of art in the family room.

Logan stretched his back, standing and staring at the canvas on the ground with a shadow of discomfort on his face. “Why don’t we put it on a table today?”

“A fantastic idea!” Roman summoned a card table underneath the canvas.

Roman suggested that they all continue the theme of their main piece, but with a simpler idea for each section of border. They got to work. After about an hour they all shuffled around to the second border they each had to work on. After another hour, Patton was halfway through his 2nd black crayon, and was nearly finished. He scratched in some small spirals and circles into the black revealing the wonderful colors underneath. He brushed away all the wax crumbs and stood back to admire his work. While Roman was the creative one, Patton didn’t think he did too shabby. The circles weren’t perfect, and the spirals wobbled, but Patton was happy with it.

He looked up to check on how the others were doing. Roman was finished and was packing up his paints. Logan was lifting the last gear, unveiling an intricate pattern. Virgil was hunched over, so Patton couldn’t tell how close to done he was. Patton was feeling kind of spacey. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Roman looked up at him, with a concerned look on his face. He pursed his lips together and he looked at Logan, then Virgil. He then looked at the clock. _What is he so worried about?_

“Are you hungry?” he asked, almost tentatively. _Like he didn’t want to break the silence_.

“I believe so.” Logan looked confused as he checked his watch, and then looked at his stomach, expecting it to answer.

“Me too, I think.” Patton couldn’t quite tell. _It’s like I am still working on the art even though I’m done._

Roman looked more worried. “We should get started on lunch then.” He coaxed Patton and Logan to the kitchen leaving Virgil to finish his last border.

As soon as the kitchen door was closed, Logan whispered harshly at Roman. “I thought we weren’t going to force him to change rooms? If we are all in here, he is going to follow.”

Roman waved the concern away. “He is under the spell of creating. He won’t notice until he is finished. You both are having trouble shaking it off too. I’m used to it, so I know how to cope. But you three need to be gentle with your brain.”

Logan took a step back, reevaluating his own personal situation. Patton did as well. _Roman is right, I feel a little funny. Like too focused?_

"What is this feeling called?” Patton asked.

Roman shrugged, “There are a lot of names for it: being right sided, or in the zone. My guess Logan is the most familiar with this feeling, he probably feels something similar when he is in the middle of a project.” Roman explained.

“It is not too dissimilar.” Logan admitted ruefully.

“I am mostly worried about you, Patton. And also Virgil. You doesn’t focus like this too often. And Virgil isn’t his usual self right now. But I think it’s helping him though, art therapy and all that jazz.”

Logan nodded, impressed. “That is very astute of you Roman.”

Roman nodded his head to accept the praise.

“What should I do now?” Patton waved his hands around his head. “I do feel kinda fuzzy.”

“Switching tasks.” Roman answered again with a shrug. “I was less worried about it last night, because it was so late and everyone was going to bed anyway. But that isn’t really an option right now.”

“So lunch?” Patton asked hoping he was guessing right.

“Lunch.” Roman answered confidently.

Patton twirled around and looked at the kitchen. _Lunch? Something easy, but tasty!_ “How about really good turkey sandwiches? With like avocado and spouts and stuff?”

“That is a very healthy choice Patton.” Logan grabbed a few avocados and went to work with a knife to slice them.

“I’ll go check on our Emo Nightmare…” Roman said as he started back toward the family room quickly.

“Now Roman, you said that Virgil would come when he is finished right?” Patton looked at Roman out of the top part of his glasses.

“Yes.” Roman answered with a huff.

“Why don’t you get your To-mah- _toes_ over here and cut up some of these tomatoes?” Patton suggested holding a bunch of tomatoes on a vine.

“Fiiine” Roman whined to the ceiling. Patton went to the fridge and grabbed cheese, mayonnaise, turkey and spouts. Just as he had finished slicing the cheese, he heard the kitchen door open behind them.

“Hey. I think I’m done.” Patton turned and saw Virgil with a very far off look on his face, looking toward the floor. He had some charcoal smudges on his face, and his hood was down. _By golly Gus! Roman was right! I have to be careful to not spook Virgil._

“Do you want to wash your hands and help us put together some sandwiches?” Patton asked, trying to not let the carefulness reach his voice too much.

Roman glanced behind him quickly. He didn’t react to Virgil’s hood being down. But he did point to the smudges’ on his face. “Maybe wash your face too?”

Logan looked toward Virgil. Patton could see surprise on his face at the hood situation. Patton tried to catch his eye and to think toward him: _Stay chill Logan!_

Virgil touched his cheek, and looked down at his hands. “Oh…right…” He said this like it had happened before. D _id this happened last night?_ Patton watched Roman as he summoned a washcloth for Virgil. Virgil took some dish soup and washed his face and hands roughly. Roman winced at the lack of good skin care. Then Roman glanced toward the kitchen window to the sunny afternoon back yard. Roman tilted his head, and then smiled to himself knowingly. Roman then looked at Logan quickly while Virgil’s face was covered with the wash cloth, and put his fingers to his lips and made a hood taking off motion. _This did happen before! Roman thinks Virgil won’t notice today! We just have to not draw attention to it. He is so clever!_ Patton saw that Logan curtly nodded, and went back to prepping the avocado.

“After you’re done, do you want to put the mayo on the bread?” Patton suggested as Virgil rinsed his hands and looked around for a towel. Grabbing one from the oven door he dried his face, then hands. “Sure.” Virgil said grabbing a butter knife and the loaf of seeded bread. He started to thickly spread the mayo on.

Logan and Roman, now done with what they were doing, watched with horror on both of their faces. Roman whined at the same time as Logan asked exasperated:

“Do we have to have the healthy bread?”

“Must you use so much mayonnaise?” 

Patton watched as Virgil’s head twitched, his fists clenched, his shoulders became higher, his eyes closed tightly, and his lips went into a thin line. He then took a deep breath. _Something is wrong with Virgil!_ Patton was about to admonish the other two for criticizing Virgil, _when he was just helping_. But then laughter ringing across the kitchen pulled Patton’s attention from Virgil to the other two laughing.

“Alright! Let’s use the healthy bread if we get that much mayo!” Roman laughed, with a hand on his chest.

“A compromise between the amounts of fat in the mayonnaise is compensated with more protean in the bread.” Logan sighed, still chuckling.

Patton could feel Virgil relax next to him. Virgil blinked his eyes, still staring at the task in front of him, his fists relaxed, his shoulders became more even, he even smirked a little to himself.

Patton let the breath out he had been holding. _We are a family after all; we don’t all have to like the same things._ After they had assembled all the sandwiches and had a fairly uneventful lunch together, Roman took his leave.

“I want make a frame for the picture. Not to mention work on some more video ideas for Thomas!” Roman took the stairs two at a time. “Let me know when dinner is ready!” Roman sang as he reached the hallway.

Logan shifted in his seat, his index finger tapping a quiet rhythm out on the fabric place-mat in front of him. _Logan is itching to work this afternoon! But he doesn’t want to?_ Patton looked at Logan’s face. Logan glanced at Virgil, who was slouched in his chair, a little stiff, playing with the pop-socket of his phone case. _His phone! I haven’t seen that in his hands since…._ Logan’s eyes went wide as he noticed the same thing as Patton did. Logan’s mind seemed to be doing calculations, and then he nodded to himself making a decision. _Logan decided to stay, but he doesn’t have to. I’m here._ Patton decided to do something bold.

“Logan?” Patton started, keeping Virgil in the corner of his eye.

“Yes Patton?” Logan looked directly at him.

“Did you have some project you needed to work on today?” Patton knew exactly what Logan wanted to work on, a list of ideas that Roman had come up with last week, ranked in different ways so that Thomas could better decide which idea to pursue first. _Logan loves list making!_

“Yes, I do. But it can wait.” Logan waved the urgency away. Virgil looked up from his pop-socket, first at the wall in front of him, then slowly toward Logan, squinting.

“I don’t think it needs to wait Logan.” Patton said, trying to keep everything casual. _Virgil knows something is up already._ “I was going to hang out this afternoon. Maybe Virgil and I will watch some Netflix and chill!” Patton finished brightly.

Both Logan and Virgil’s attention snapped to Patton. Logan tilted his head as he was redoing the calculations in his head. Virgil had taken a long blink, shook his head, his lips in a thin smile, chuckling to himself. “Netflix or something sounds great.” Virgil looked like he was trying to keep down a deep laugh.

“That seems sufficient. I shall go make my list.” Logan quickly made his way to his own bedroom.

_Mission successful!_

With just Patton and Virgil left at the dining room table, Patton cleaned up the remaining dishes and Virgil went back to the sectional he had been spending most of his time on the last few days. When Patton came into the family room he found Virgil back in the same corner he had claimed. _Virgil’s spot_. His hood was still down, and his fingers still was fiddling with the pop-socket on his phone. Patton sat next to Virgil on the section directly facing the large TV, with a cushion between them. _Did Roman upgrade our TV as well? I’ll have to let him know I noticed._ Between the arts and crafts and games they have been playing Patton didn’t think that anyone had actually turned the TV on since the remodel.

“What do you want to watch? A show? A movie?” Patton asked as he turned on the TV, a blue screen appearing, ready to take the input they put in.

“Too much commitment either way.” Virgil replied, adjusting his blankets so they covered him, feet to shoulder. “A movie is like 2 hours of time, and what if we get bored half way through and we don’t like it? I hate stopping movies in the middle.” He huffed lower in his seat with dissatisfaction. “But starting a show is shorter, but there is so much more content over all!” He waved his hands up. “Like what’s stopping us from binging a whole season or a whole show right now? Or what if we watch the first episode and we decided its meh?” Virgil took a deep breath. _I haven’t heard him talk so much since his Troubles. Is that rant good or bad?_

“We could try something on YouTube?” Patton suggested.

Virgil withered at the thought. “Too many choices.” He moaned into his blanket. “Why can’t we already be watching something? It’s always easier when we are already in a show.” His face was expressing his displeasure freely. _I haven’t seen him express that many emotions in a while either._

“We could not watch anything?” Patton turned the TV off, the blue screen of the TV disappearing. “Is there anything you would like to do? If you could do anything in the world right now, what would you do?” Patton loved asking questions like this. Even if no verbal answers came from it, it was always an interesting conversation.

Virgil shifted uncomfortably. “Anything?”

“Anything! If nothing what standing in your way, what would you do?” Patton leaned forward. He felt like there was something here, something important.

Virgil looked down at the floor. His face looked a cross between determined and unsure. Like he knew what he wanted, but was unsure if he could, or should say it out loud. He put his hand on his face cover his eyes. “I dono…” Patton stayed quiet. _What Virgil needed was a space to speak, not words of encouragement._ Virgil’s hand went from his eyes, which were still closed, to running through his hair, tugging at the ends as his hand rested to the back of his neck.

“I can’t just do it, yeah know?” His hand found the hood that had been down since mid-morning. He flipped it up with a practiced flick of his wrist. Then both of his hands pulled down the hoodie strings so only a bit of his purple bangs, nose and mouth showed from inside the shut hood. “It’s not like it can just happen magically…no matter how you…” he closed his mouth quickly, stopping his sentence short.

Patton could tell from the way his lips went to the side he was chewing the inside of his cheek. Patton sighed quietly. Virgil was so close to talking about the real problems that where still bothering him. But now he knew the signs from Logan’s list. He knew that Virgil was still scared. _Maybe the new family room is helping, but it hasn’t fixed anything._ Patton was at a loss again, feeling much like he felt right before he had the idea of knocking on Logan’s door just a few nights ago. _Helpless, confused,_ _inadequate._ Patton rung his hands in an effort to focus. He looked back up to Virgil. He had looked so much like his old self, ranting about the cons of a show vs. a movie. Such a small decision, a small thing to bring his old self back, his arms had flailed, his posture had been relaxed, and his words quick and not hesitated, emotions freely displayed. Now though…

This new Virgil in front of his was tight like a knot, face nearly all covered by his hood, knees up, protecting his middle, arms wrapped around his thighs. He hadn’t said anything else since cutting himself off mid sentence. All this over question. _What do you want to do?_

Patton knew what he wanted to do. It had been what he wanted to do since Virgil was carried out of his bedroom, and into the sunset room. It had been what Patton ached to do every day since, watching his friend, _his family_ , hurt in ways he didn’t understand. It was what Roman had tried to do, in his roundabout way with gifts. It was what Logan warned him not to do. It was something he was going to do anyway.

Patton scooched over a cushion, sitting on his knees, closing the space between him and Virgil. Though Virgil’s eyes were covered by his hood, he felt the distance between them change, and he tucked back into the corner of the fluffy sectional. Patton knew it would not be good to just do it. He should warn or ask first.

“Virgil?” Patton whispered, leaning closer. He was defiantly in Virgil’s personal bubble now, even if he was still at least 16 inches away.

“Mm?” one eye peeked out from under the hood.

“I would very much like to hug you. That’s what I want to do. More then anything else.” Patton felt boldness at saying the words out loud. “And I feel like it would help you.”

Virgil closed his eyes. “’kay.”

Patton leaned into Virgil’s indent of the cushion, gravity taking him where he wanted to go. He wrapped his arms and held Virgil. He expected him to be cold, but Virgil was surprisingly warm. The last hug they had shared felt like a lifetime ago. It had been short, to sooth upset feelings. Now though, Patton just held on to his family in pain. He didn’t feel Virgil tense under him or inch away. _That must be a good sign._ In fact he could feel two arms inch their way to his own back returning the embrace. _Definitely a good sign._ He could feel Virgil’s face on his chest. He felt Virgil’s breathing start to change, going from short, but steady breaths, to erratic and gasping. _Wait, is he crying?_ He wanted to look at Virgil’s face, to see what was written there. But he could also feel Virgil’s hands grasping the back of his shirt tightly, keeping them both in the embrace. No sounds came from the Side in his arms, but sensations of the movement of his breathing, the grasping of his shirt, and the nuzzling deeper of Virgil’s face into his chest continued. _Virgil_ WAS _crying._ Patton held on just a little tighter, his arms a solid refuge. He laid his cheek on the top of the crown of Virgil’s head. _This, this I can do._

The moment seemed to last forever.

But then as all moments do, it ended.

Eventually Virgil’s breathing returned to normal. Short but steadier breaths replaced the erratic ones. The tight grasp on the back of Patton’s polo loosed, Virgil’s arms eventually returning to his own sides. Patton felt as Virgil inched his face back, and Patton let go of his friend.

Not making eye contact, Virgil said to the blankets in his lap “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Patton backed up into his own spot, a cushion in between them once again. “Do you need a minute? I can go if you want?” Patton desperately wanted to look at Virgil, but kept his eyes toward the black TV, letting Virgil have his privacy.

“I do, but…I’ll go. Face is itchy…” Patton felt his friend stand and watched his body cross his field of view.

Patton sighed. While he know it was a good thing for Virgil to release some of these feelings, it was hard to see him like this. _I wonder how he will feel this evening._ After a moment sitting by himself Patton started to feel restless. _I know! I’ll go get the stuff for the sleep over! There is no reason we can’t start early!_ He immediately clambered up the stairs and into his bedroom. He changed into his cat onesie, struggling with the zipper in his excitement. After about 10 minutes he was going to give up and head down with it half zipped when it finally smoothed out enough to reach his neck. He gathered his shoebox of crafts and movies and his super-special-sleep-over-hot-coco mugs and headed back down to family room.

He entered the family room and saw it was empty. _That took forever! I was sure Virgil would be back already._ Patton flopped onto his cushion and put the shoe box with the mugs on the coffee table. He glanced at the clock. _4:03_ the light green display read under the TV. _It’ll be dinner time soon. Maybe we will just have snacks all night! Ooo Logan would hate that! It’ll be great!_ Patton bounced with excitement.

With a lack of anything to focus on he started to quietly sing to himself. “The wonderful thing about Tiggers, Is Tiggers are wonderful things. Their tops are made out of rubbers, Their bottoms are made out of springs! They're bouncy, trouncy, founcy, pouncy Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers, Is! I'm the only one!”

He looked around. _Still no Virgil. No, I won’t get worried. Maybe he is just taking his time. OR! Maybe he is putting his onesie on!_ Becoming excited again Patton sang and bounced again. By the time he had repeated this he checked the clock. _4:16 Maybe he isn’t coming back. Maybe he got too sad._ He turned himself around on the cushion, arms dangling over the back of the furniture, facing the door that lead to the stairs, that led to the den, which held Virgil. Patton laid his head on his left shoulder, arms still dangling against the hard frame of the sectional. _It’s OK if he isn’t coming back; I just want him to know I’m not mad or upset or anything. Maybe I should go tell him?_ Inspired by the song he just sang, he jumped, feet onto the cushion, then onto the back of the sectional, and then landing on all fours on the rug behind the sectional with a thump. Patton winced. S _omebody must have heard that._ He scrambled up to his feet, and made his way to the door, that led to the stairs, that led to the den, which held Virgil. Just as he was about to turn the knob a voice from the stairs behind him stopped him.

“Patton? Are you quiet alright?”

Patton turned toward the voice that had come from the stairway that led to the bedrooms. It was Logan.

“Yeah, I just jumped from the sectional, now I am going to go check on Virgil.” Patton explained.

“Check on Virgil? What do you mean?” Logan looked around the family room for the first time, and at noticing the Virgil wasn’t in the space, he furrowed his brow.

“He uh…” _I didn’t want to let the cat onesie out of the bag_. Outing that Virgil just had a bit of an emotional outburst, would be a breach of his trust. So he just told the truth. “He had to properly wash his face. I think the dish soap was starting to get to him.”

Logan peered at Patton in such a way that made Patton think he had noticed his hand was still outstretched toward the doorknob. “How long ago was this?”

“A while…” Patton admitted.

“And did you leave the room while he was gone?” Logan’s sudden change of topic surprised Patton.

“Yeah, I went to go put on my cat onesie and get the sleepover stuff! I thought we could start early, and have junk food all night!” Patton then remembered his vision if the evening. He started bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Thoughts cross Logan’s face, too fast for even Patton to catch. Finally his face still once more, he spoke carefully, “I do not think you should go check on him. When he is ready, he will come back out. Sometimes less exuberant Sides need a break. And sometimes that break is not interacting directly with anyone, but still being in the same room.” The way Logan was talking, it seemed to Patton that Logan wasn’t talking directly to him anymore. “I have 20 minutes left of the project I am working on. How about I join you when I am finished? Then we can watch an animated movie. Then I can show you the list I was working on in my room? Would that appeal to you…” he paused. “Patton?”

“Uh, sure. That sounds good.” A mixture of disappointment and excitement was bubbling in Patton.

“As for junk food, how about for the next 20 minutes you put together something not as unhealthy, like a cheese and vegetable platter? Then we can snack while we watch the movie.” With that Logan turned on his heel and headed back to his room. Patton went to the kitchen and put together a platter over flowing with 4 different kinds of cheeses, a slew of crunchy vegetables, and 2 dipping sauces. Bringing the platter out it was nearly the size of the coffee table.

“Maybe I made too much?” Patton asked himself out loud.

“Nonsense Patton,” Logan answered from the stairs, a star blanket in his arms. “If there is extra I am sure someone else will finish it later.”

And so they started a movie. Patton was hesitant to pick one from his sleepover stash. _It feels wrong without Virgil here._ Instead Logan picked Finding Nemo from the normal movie cupboard. “Classic film. The ocean facts are mostly accurate, run time is only an hour and 40 minutes and it came out in 2003.”

So they settled in and watched 100 minutes of Finding Nemo.

After the movie, true to Logan’s promise they headed up to Logan’s room. Logan let Patton in the room first.

“I’m so surprised that you want to show me your list!” Patton said.

“Oh! Yes, well…” Logan closed the bedroom door behind them. “I had ulterior motives.”

“What do you mean?” Patton turned to face Logan. Guilt crossed Logan’s face, slowly and in waves.

“I did not want to lie to you, but I did not wish to state my true intention while we were in the common area.” Logan broke eye contact and fiddled with the doorknob behind him.

“You true intention?” Patton was very confused now. _Why did Logan feel guilty?_

“The Facts. The data I gathered about Virgil. Remember Fact 6?”

Patton shook his head. “Which one was fact 6?”

Logan nodded to himself, “This is why I didn’t try subterfuge. I wouldn’t think you would have them memorized by number.” Logan straightened his posture and walked to the board where the facts from a few nights before were still written. “Fact 6: Virgil will often hide in small spaces in the common room, when no one else is around.”

Understanding dawned on Patton. “You thought Virgil was hiding in the family room! Why didn’t you say so?”

Logan closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If Virgil wanted to come out, he would have. When I laid out the plan for the next two of hours, I built in an opportunity at the beginning for him to reappear with us none the wiser. But he apparently needed more time to himself, but still close enough proximity to the rest of us to feel comfortable. If I had said all of that it would have destroyed the illusion. This way, you and I are out of the way for a moment, if he wants to come out, without tipping his metaphorical hand, he can.”

Trying to piece together everything Logan just said, Patton nodded. “Has it been long enough now?”

Logan checked his watch. “Yes. It has. We may go down. I would suggest not saying anything about him hiding in the common room and assume he has been in the sunset room the whole time.”

Patton felt uncomfortable at this. It wasn’t lying per say…but it wasn’t wholly truthful either.

Logan sighed, sensing Patton’s hesitance. “Think of it as if someone was planning a surprise birthday party, but you somehow found out. You would pretend to not know what is going on to assuage their feelings correct?”

Patton sighed. “Yeah, you’re right Logan.”

They went back to the family room together. And there was Virgil, munching on a celery stick, hood down, playing with his pop socket and laying relaxed on the sectional.

“Virgil!” Patton could not hold in his happiness.

“What’s up Patton?” he took another bite of the celery. “What’s up with the onesie?”

Patton had forgotten he had been wearing it. “Oh! I was wondering if you wanted to have a sleepover with me tonight?”

“Is that why you have your super-special-sleep-over-hot-coco mugs down here?” Virgil asked with fake innocence.

“Yes! It is! You’re such a good guesser!” Patton could feel Logan’s eye roll as he sat in his spot in the sectional, the arm nearest to the stairs.

“I guess it would only be fair. Can we have junk food all night and watch movies?” Virgil asked with another crunch of the celery.

“Yes! Oh my goodness! That is what I was thinking too!” Patton had forgotten all about faking ignorance, and was instead genuinely happy that Virgil seemed to what to spend time with him.

“I suppose I will let Roman know that no proper dinner will be provided tonight.” Logan sighed and headed back up to Roman’s room. As soon as Logan was out of earshot Virgil leaned to where Patton had sat down.

“Hey thanks, for giving me some space. I, uh, just needed a few to collect myself.” Virgil said as he rubbed the back of his neck, and looked toward the floor.

“Anytime!” Patton said happily.

Logan and Roman came back down and joined the other two for a movie. Patton made another snack platter, Roman conjured way too many bags of chips, and Logan rolled his eyes at the whole affair. After the first movie Logan and Roman retired for the night.

Patton made their super-special-sleep-over-hot-coco and he and Virgil watched movies until they fell asleep on each other’s shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost to the end.


	10. Virgil’s Decisions

Virgil woke up the feeling cozy.

He opened his eyes to a muted DVD menu of Hunchback Notre Dame. He felt propped up by a warm soft breathing thing under his left side. He turned his head and saw it was Patton, hood of hit cat onesie half off, glasses fallen into his lap, and curled into Virgil’s side. Virgil smiled at the sight of Thomas’s Heart looking so snug. He hated to ruin the moment, but Virgil was never one to lie about after he woke up. Usually his thoughts motivated him to get up and start moving. _Maybe if I gently lay him down on a pile of blankets he won’t wake up?_ He stretched out his legs to see if he could move without waking Patton. He checked Patton’s breathing: warm, deep and steady. _Good. Let’s see if I can get my torso out._ Sliding his upper body out of the mess of blankets, trying to keep the angle of Patton’s body the same, Virgil was able to extract himself. Scooching over a little he checked his sleeping friend again. He breathing was still warm, deep and steady. _I didn’t mess that up completely._ Taking a deep breath, Virgil headed quietly to the kitchen.

Virgil was rarely the first in the kitchen in the morning. _Heck, it’s usually afternoon before I’m ready to face anyone._ Seeing the kitchen empty of the other Sides spooked him a little. He shivered and went to make his coffee. Coffee and grounds went into the small coffee maker. _The one Logan summoned yesterday._ Cream and sugar went into the purple coffee mug. _I wish I had more than one. The other two are…_ Virgil closed his eyes, and pressed the button. Listening to the little machine go, he thought about the last few days.

 _They had to be doing the whole thing on purpose_. The remodel, the not leaving him alone, the sleeping in the living room, the whole thing reeked of purposeful kindness.

_Is that so bad that they care?_

_It wasn’t, it’s just Strange._

And Virgil didn’t like Strange. Strange was usually dangerous, unknown, and could hurt. It was hard to anticipate Strange. But this, this seemed to be ok. Small kindnesses, words heavy with double meanings, and companionship. _It’s not bad._ But they wanted something. That he was sure of.

He poured his coffee into his mug, hopped onto the counter and sipped it. _What would they want from me? What haven’t I been doing for them?_ Well the obvious, the answer to Patton’s question that had unraveled him: going back into his bedroom. Virgil shuddered, the warmth of his mug not holding back the feelings he had about going back there.

_How about going to my actual corner of Thomas’s mind?_

_That’s not a great idea._

As much as the bedrooms where made at Patton’s behest, Virgil had benefited from them just as much since their creation. His own corner of Thomas’s mind was lonely. Not to mention if he spent too much time there it worked to strengthen his own abilities. Abilities he tried to keep a tight control of. After Logan assured everyone that the diluted version would be enough if a Side spent time in it every day, he hadn’t been back since. Then finding out that Logan and Roman hadn’t spent a lot of time in their corners, his own guilt lessened a bit. Logan’s own recent thought on the subject, stating his own native space was extremely stimulating after just a couple of hours, was enough to keep Virgil away from his own corner in his raw state. He could just imagine what a jolt of his own aura would do to him.

_No thank you._

And so that left…

_My bedroom._

He reached the bottom of his coffee cup way too fast. Looking at his dangling feet, he thought about making a second cup, just to hold, but hearing light steps from the stairs made him change his mind and hop down from the counter. Logan stepped into the kitchen a few moments later, a yawn splitting his face in half.

"Virgil.” Logan nodded, looking a little surprised.

“Hey.” Virgil went to the dining table with his empty cup. He watched Logan put together his coffee in a French press, picking up his thoughts from earlier.

 _I have to go back to my bedroom._ He tightened his hands around the now cold cup. _After all they have done, I have to show them I’m getting better._ If they even knew about him not going to his bedroom. _Of course they know. They wouldn’t have done half of what they have done without knowing. Logan has probably known for a long time now._ Virgil eyed at the usually observant side, who was measuring his water in the sink with precision. _And if Logan knows, then the other two know as well._ Virgil slouched into the wooden chair. He could feel himself coming to a decision. And he hated making decisions. _What if it’s the wrong decision?_ He batted the thought away like a fly buzzing around his head.

_I am going to ask for help._

_That’s all there was to it._

Decision made, he looked grumpily at his lack of coffee in his cup. _How do I ask for help? How do I even start?_ He imagined himself saying something right then to Logan, who was currently watching a timer as it ticked down the last few seconds.

 _Hey Logan! Do you mind helping me conquer a very real terror I have for my own bedroom? Kthxbye._ Virgil shook his head. _Not like that, idiot._

Should he ask Patton how to ask for help? _Hey Patton! Can you help me ask for help? I don’t seem to know how._

He snorted at the absurdity of that situation. Letting himself take it a step further: _Hey Roman! Can you help me ask Patton how to ask for help?_ So asking how to ask wouldn’t work.

Logan, coffee in hand, sat next to Virgil. The two sat in silence as Logan drank his coffee making notes in his note book.

 _Maybe I’ll ask them all at once?_ That wasn’t a bad idea. That way he won’t have to repeat himself. _But everyone will be looking at me, and thinking about me, and worrying about me...Oomph that’s almost too much._ But was there a better way of doing it? _No, there isn’t._ Another decision made.

_I will ask for help as soon as the other three sides where in the same room._

Two decisions in one morning. _I’m working overtime today._ He didn’t want to gather them all together. _That would put way too much attention on me._ But leaving it up to chance was unbearable as well. Virgil squirmed in his seat, his need to control the situation battling with his detest for drawing attention to himself. _Fuck._ He felt like he needed to make another decision. Looking at Logan most of the way through his coffee and taking tiny notes, Virgil wondered what it would be like to be in Logan’s mind. _It’s prolly clean, and factual, and he prolly loves making decisions._ Virgil was stuck with a sudden need to move. But there wasn’t anywhere to move too. Patton was still sleeping in the living room, Logan was in here, Roman was still sleeping in his bedroom.

_I could go down to the den._

_Alone._

His world had become a lot smaller since…

_Since…_

_Since Deceit._

Instead of avoiding the thought, he confronted it for the first time.

_Since he trapped me in my own room. Since I unleashed the power I thought was necessary._

_Since the others came to save me._

Virgil could feel his hands tremble around the mug. _Since I was more scared then I have been in all of my existence._ Virgil glanced up and saw that Logan was looking at him. _Fuck! Does he notice?_ Holding his hands as still as he could Virgil dropped his eyes back down to his mug.

“Are you well Virgil?” Virgil could feel Logan’s eyes studying him.

_Evade! Evade!_

“Yep” Virgil said, trying to cover any tells his face may be betraying.

“If you ever want to talk about anything I’m here. If someone else would be better suited I would be pleased to fetch them for you.” Logan said this factually.

“No, I’m…its fine.” Virgil held his breath in an effort to hold a neutral face. He glanced up. Logan looked skeptical.

“It is perfectly normal if ‘its’ not fine Virgil. In fact with everything you have been through lately…”

Virgil stood up abruptly. “I have to go.” He muttered as he left the dining table, and sought refuge in the living room. Roman was sleepily sipping from a Starbucks cup, sitting on the sectional with Patton who was just waking up.

_Can’t. Too many people. Too much attention._

And for the first time in a very long time Virgil sought refuge in solitude. He bolted toward the den.

Once he closed the sunset room door behind him he let himself fall apart.

_I can’t even think about what happened without freaking out. How am I going to talk to them?_

He fell on the bed he hadn’t used in days, and stretched out flat on his front. His spine and muscles relaxed in a stretch for the first time in nearly a week. He took a deep breath and rested his eyes. This morning started so well. And last night was actually pleasant. _Why am I falling apart at the seams now?_ Virgil didn’t like to cry. It was messy, got in the way, and didn’t achieve much. That didn’t mean he didn’t cry. In Virgil’s estimation he was likely to cry more often than any other Side, besides Patton. _And only because Patton cried happy tears._ _Why the fuck cry happy tears?_ Not that any of the other sides have seen him cry. Except again for Patton, yesterday, he had been able to keep it to himself. _I really messed that up with Patton yesterday…_

The whole thing had been a nightmare. From the question Patton asked him, to thinking it was a good idea to hide in the ottoman behind the sectional, it was all bad. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like the tight space, but he felt like he was spying. _Again._ Luckily he didn’t hear anything that he felt like he shouldn’t. But he felt bad for ditching Patton to his own devices for a while. Thank goodness Logan had come down.

_Logan said I could talk to him._

_I know Patton is always open to talking…_

_Roman would help figure something out too…_

Virgil curled up on his bed, tears escaping his eyes. _This is fine. I can deal with this._

Taptaptaptap

_Fuck, I can’t deal with that._

A voice from the other side of the door called quietly, “Virgil? It’s Patton. Logan said that you may not be doing 100% today. If you need anything, just uh, let me know I guess?” Patton voice sounded defeated. “I’m going to sit here, just for 5 minutes. Then I’ll head back up. If you need me, I’m here.”

_A presence, a timetable, a plan._

All of these were things that made Virgil feel a little calmer. He looked at the clock. He had no intention of seeing anyone, but it was nice to know that Patton was there, and when he would leave.

The minutes ticked by.

When 5 minutes were up, Virgil could hear a shuffle on the other side of his door. Then Patton’s voice again, this time softer, and not directed at his door. “I don’t think he is going to come out Roman. No, it’s ok Logan. He just needs some more time I think.”

_The three of them are waiting on me._

_Are thinking about me._

_Are worrying about me._

_It’s now or never I guess…_

Quickly, he got up from the bed and moved to the door to open it. There sitting on the bottom step was Patton. At the top of the stairs peaking around the door to the living room were Logan and Roman. All of their faces were shock.

“I think I need to talk.” Virgil broke the stunned silence.

The other three Sides nodded mutely, moving toward the living room.

Virgil sighed. As soon as Patton emptied the stair case, Virgil closed the door behind him.

_Maybe I won’t have to come back._

Stuffing his hands in his deep pockets he went to where his family waited.

They were already sitting in the sectional, in their new spots. Logan on the side closest to the stair case one leg crossed over the other, then Patton at the bottom of the U shape sitting with his legs crossed under him, finally Roman closest to the wall arms stretched out across the back of the cushions. Virgil, thinking it felt wrong to bundle into his corner, stood in front of the TV.

“First, I wanted to say thanks to you guys. I know how much effort you have been putting in for me this week.” Immediately Roman and Logan interrupted, talking over each other.

“I certainly didn’t do anything out of character…”

“For your information I have wanted to remodel for ages!”

“No, guys, its fine. Really. I also appreciate how low-key you have been about it.” Virgil put his hands up to quiet the other two.

“What gave it away? Was it the onesie?” Patton asked meekly after Roman and Logan settled down.

“Actually, it was Logan.” Virgil shrugged. He hadn’t really thought about it, but it was Logan that had given him the biggest hints to their true intentions.

“Pocket protector? What did he do? We had the perfect plan!” Roman was aghast. Logan nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

Virgil shrugged. “I notice things, yeah know? His glasses where folded on his book when I woke up that morning after we had slept on the sectional for the first time.”

“My glasses?” Logan narrowed his eyes, attempting to understand.

“Yeah. If anyone was going to be excited about sleeping on the new sectional the first night it would have been Roman, being his creation and all. Or Patton after that. Him being just excitable.”

This time Patton nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

“But Logan played it off like he accidently fell asleep. Which _has_ happened before. But in those cases you always fall asleep with your glasses on your face and your book on your chest.”

Logan looked at him in astonishment. “You knew? This whole time?”

“Not knew, knew. But I knew something was up. I figured you were all doing something to make me feel better. So I kept my eyes open, like I do.” Again Virgil shrugged. _This is not what I’m here to talk about._

A beat of silence filled the room as the others realized, for the first time, that Virgil was very good at what he did.

“Anyway.” Virgil tucked his hands into his sleeves. “I’m not here to point out all the ways I noticed your plan. I wanted to ask you for something. I think I need your help?”

A moment stretched in between the four sides. Virgil shifted as the other three took in the request.

“What sort of help?” Roman was the first to break the silence.

“I’m sure you’re aware, but I haven’t gone to...my bedroom. Since…” Virgil took a deep breath.

_I can do this. I can’t do this. Hell, I am already doing this._

“Since Deceit. So, I think I need help. Because I think I need to go back.”

“Do you have something in mind already?” Logan inquired carefully.

Virgil shook his head, looking down to the floor. _I should have thought of something. I should have had an idea before I brought it up._

“You need a plan! That’s fantastic!” Roman nearly exploded with being needed.

“Roman…” Patton said in a warning tone.

“We need to know what the issues are if we are to address them, correct?” Logan asked Virgil and Patton.

Patton nodded, saying sagely, “We need to diagnose the problem. And that is a huge step in solving it. As far as problems go, this is a delicate situation. It needs to be handled with finesse and sensitivity.”

Virgil watched as Logan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Yes. It is Patton. You were listening!”

“Of course I was! I always listen to your advice!” Patton said bouncing on his cushion.

Logan recovered himself. “What seems to be the main obstacles in your path Virgil?”

_Logan never beats around the bush does he?_

“Oh, the usual: I am terrified of my own bedroom, I guess.” Virgil shrugged, as if he could lessen the seriousness of what he was feeling. Looking at Patton he could see his heart break.

_Patton knows what I felt like I had to do, but none of them know what it was like in there._

_Trapped._

_Tied._

_Terrified._

“I can understand that. Spaces can often become tainted with an unfavorable experience.” Logan’s clinical voice brought Virgil back to the current conversation. “But what are you afraid of precisely. If we can pinpoint exactly what it is that is keeping you away, we can better apply a solution.”

Virgil still in front of everybody, started to chew his thumb nail.

_What AM I scared of?_

_Being alone._

_Being overcome._

_Being confined._

“I dono.” Virgil shrugged again. _It’s too much to say it all out loud._

Patton, sill sitting cross-legged in the middle cushion of gestured toward Virgil. “Do you want to sit down?”

Still chewing his thumbnail Virgil nodded, and curled into his now well worn spot in the corner of the sectional, with Patton on his left and Roman on his right.

Virgil looked over to Logan who looked reflective. “What if we give you suggestions of things we may find uncomfortable about the situation we found you in? You can then explain or elaborate on some of our base thoughts?”

_If they are willing to try, I can give them that much._

“Sure.” Virgil said, without unclenching his teeth around his thumbnail.

“I will start since it was my idea.” Logan began. “I would find the sensation of being….” Logan for once looked lost for words. Virgil watched Logan carefully as Logan struggled to find a way to say what he wanted to convey.

_What is he struggling with?_

_Emotions?_

“The sensation of being…” Logan looked down as he flexed his hands. “Ensnared? No. Constrained? That’s not quite right either. Restrained?”

_He is talking around it. He doesn’t want to face the word head on._

_I understand that._

“Tied. Trapped. Bound.” Virgil whispered the words that have been plaguing his mind for a month.

Logan nodded solemnly. “Yes. Trapped. I would find that notion to be deeply uncomfortable.”

Virgil sighed. “It was. It was one of the worst feelings I have felt. I couldn’t…” Virgil shut his eyes, remembering the tight binds around him. “I couldn’t do anything to help myself. All I could do was hope. Then I lost that.”

Another moment passed between the four, all taking in the small amount Virgil was willing to say.

Roman broke the silence again. “I would find the tragedy of being bested the worst feeling. Knowing I put up a fight and lost. That I lost so deeply, so utterly. That would completely ruin me.” Virgil looked at the normally brave part of Thomas’s personality, his face haunted.

_I was completely beaten by Deceit. So beaten that he was able to imprison me thoroughly. I should have been able to put up more of a fight then I did. I am the embodiment of fight or flight. How could I fail at my only function?_

“I should have beaten him. I don’t know why I couldn’t.” Virgil looked at Roman, who made eye contact and nodded.

“Sometimes fights can’t be won.”

The silence after that stretched so long, Virgil nearly forgot who should have spoken next. It wasn’t until he heard the word whispered from the Side on his left that he remembered what they were all doing.

“Alone.”

All eyes turned to Patton.

“Alone. So so alone.” Still clad in his cat onesie Patton tucked his hands into the pockets and snuggled into himself. He looked like he was about to cry.

_He is Thomas’s empathy. If anyone can imagine what’s it was like for me it’s Patton._

“ _That_ was the worst of it.” Virgil allowed his thoughts to spill from his mouth. “I was so alone with only my own self destructive mind to work with. I tried to think about what all of you would do, and that helped some. But I knew I had to protect you, but I couldn’t. I knew that if Deceit got his way I would be alone for a very long time. And… I could NOT let any of that happen. I was willing to do anything to prevent Thomas from being hurt.” Virgil took a deep breath. “And from losing all of you.”

Feeling raw, exposed and vulnerable Virgil looked at his feet.

_I don’t want to see them pitting me. I know they do, but I don’t want to be reminded of it._

But he looked anyway.

Surprisingly none of them where looking in Virgil’s direction. They all seemed to be in their own minds, fears creeping along the edges of their faces.

_I have to stop their thinking._

“But I got out. You guys saved me. And you can help me again. I need to go back. I can’t stay away anymore. I have to recharge. It is a miracle that I haven’t become completely undone yet.”

“Actually I have been thinking about that.” Logan, ever the analyst, shook off his previous dark thoughts and explained. “Patton showed severe lack of abilities, sense of purpose, and sense of self after a week. I must assume you haven’t recharged since your Experence…with Deceit?”

 _That last word seemed to have taken some effort for him to say_.

Virgil nodded. “It is only now; I seem to be a bit more frayed at the edges. And it’s been a month.”

Logan continued. “From what Patton has told me, of what you told him, it seems that you allowed your power to run rampant. Then you made yourself a conduit to unleash it, is that a correct assessment?”

“You what to the what?” Roman interrupted.

“Yeah, I uh, fed into my natural anxiety, and let it overwhelm everything around me. Then I just took it all into myself and directed it toward Thomas’s surface thoughts in one burst. It was kinda a lot.” Virgil hadn’t told anyone but Patton any of the particulars of his efforts to escape. _Now they all know. Now they can be mad at me for it._ Virgil sat very still as he anticipated their reactions.

_Freeze._

“I didn’t know that’s what you did. I know how you tend to shy away from tapping into your true power most of the time.” Roman shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t tell you. I really only told Patton.” Virgil shrugged again. He was still feeling a bit exposed. But it didn’t seem to be going badly.

Logan cleared his throat. “Be that as it may, I think that act stored up some of your essence, the very thing our parts of Thomas’s mind actually works to emphasize and recharge. Instead of starting the month with a lack of reserve, you likely started with an overabundance of your components. This would explain the lack of effect you have felt until recently.”

Virgil nodded. “That’s why I have still felt like myself, just way more so?”

Logan looked thoughtful. “I believe that your Experience with Deceit has increased your normal levels of fear and anxiety. What you did to draw our attention is also a contributing factor to your feelings. You would likely still avoid the space where it happened. That is a normal repose. But you would be feeling the effects of not going back quite a bit sooner if you had not done what you done to get out.”

“If it is the bedroom itself that’s the issue, why not go into your corner of Thomas’s mind?” Roman asked. “I know my corner did me a world of good after my project!”

Virgil shifted uncomfortably. “I had thought about that. I have been feeling more ragged this past week. But after what Logan said about going back into his space, I’m scared about how much of my own…” Virgil waved his hands in front of him trying to convey what he felt about the idea. “Stuff I could stomach right now.”

“Like, if you’re super dehydrated you should take lots of sips of water, instead of huge gulps!” Patton exclaimed.

“Yeah. Kinda like that. Too much wouldn’t do me any good right now. I’m not like the rest of you.” Virgil sighed. “Too much of me with everything that’s happened would be very bad.”

Logan nodded. “I quite agree. So we are back to your mini-space. Where you do not wish to go back to on your own?”

Virgil chewed his nail again. “Seems like.”

There was quiet again. But Virgil could tell this time everyone was thinking about the problem he had been working on for the last few weeks.

Roman, ever the one who hates a lull in conversation, spoke up to break the thoughtful quiet, “To recap: The three big bad wolfs of this story are your feelings of being trapped, alone, and defeated right?”

With a shaky breath Virgil nodded.

_Roman is always on the nose with it._

“Those are the three things we must combat to make your bedroom feel safer again. Correct?”

With a more steady breath Virgil nodded.

 _As long as he doesn’t use the word safe space._ Virgil cringed to himself.

“Fantastic!” Roman stood, going into full idea creation mode.

“I do not see how this is fantastic. It is quite the opposite really.” Logan uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to the pacing Roman.

“I think what Roman means is that he has something to work with now, right?” Patton held up his hands to prevent the two Sides fighting.

“Yes of course! What Virgil is feeling is not great. But it is amazing that he told us. Now we can work on the problem knowing what the problem is! And not, yeah know; go all in with pizzazz and surprises. Like maybe I did before.” Roman slowed his pacing and looked at Virgil, who was feeling all kinds of looked at. “I’m sorry for charging headfirst into trying to make you feel better. I know now that was wrong. And it could have made the situation a heck of a lot worse.”

Virgil tucked his hands into the arms of his hoodie. “It’s ok. I wasn’t very forthcoming. And I did like the fidget toys, so it wasn’t all bad.”

“Back to idea creation!” Roman flourished in the spot, spinning and pacing again.

_Thank goodness. Think about the problem and not me directly._

“How about this? We bundle Virgil up in all of the blankets and chuck him into his room?

“Or how about we put Virgil into a box and make the box all cozy, then put the box into another box and put that box into his bedroom? That way he doesn’t know he is in his room?

“Or how about we make a maze and put candy in the middle so then he has to spend at least some time in his bedroom!”

Roman now out of breath sunk down back to his seat. “None of those are good are they?”

Logan grabbed his vocab cards and flipped thru them until he came to the one he was looking for.

“Yikes.”

“Logan’s right. That’s 3 big yikes from me. But keep trying Princey.”

“You gotta get all the less good ones out of the way before you can get to the good ones!” Patton encouraged.

“Fiiine….how about we each go with Virgil with him, like how we all spent the night down here? In shifts?” A melted Roman tossed the idea out with a halfhearted flourish.

“That’s not a bad idea at all!” Patton cheered

“It does have some issues though…” Logan started.

“Like what Nerdtastic?” Roman lifted his head to meet Logan’s gaze.

“Well, the biggest issue would be how does Virgil feel about it?”

“Ok actually?” Virgil wasn’t sure how he felt about each of them in turn spending time in his bedroom with him. He never considered it.

“The next issue then is the effect of Virgil’s mini-space. While diluted would still affect us all in ways we may not find desirable.”

 _That’s why I never considered it._ Ever since the other three Sides came looking for him when he had ducked out, they had all never spent any real time in his corner or his bedroom. Any private conversations were held in someone else’s bedroom, or in the living room.

Patton looked chest fallen. “But have we ever spent any time in his bedroom? Like you all come to my bedroom all the time! And it doesn’t seem to have any bad effects? Right?”

“That is a good point Patton. We do not know the effects of Virgil’s bedroom on us. Perhaps we can take turns in small time increments and slowly increase them, to learn our tolerances.”

_Are we really talking about this? I’m going to have to go back now. What have I done?_

“I don’t have to be sleeping right? To recharge? Just time in the bedroom is enough?” Virgil asked carefully.

_I don’t know if I could sleep in there anyway. Too much, Too many, can’t…_

“No. I do not believe sleep is required to have the intended effect. It just happens to be a convenient block of time to be alone.” Logan explained.

“Right.” Virgil sighed. _I can do that. A couple of hours with someone in there with me? I can do that. I can._

“My idea worked? Should we start right now?” Roman looked up more perky.

“Let’s do it!” Patton jumped up, Roman’s excitement infectious.

_Right now? As in right now, as in this moment in time, as in I’ll have to walk up the stairs and look at my door and open it and see…_

_Flee!_

_Flee!_

“Guys…I dono… if…” _I’m not ready. I’m not ready._

“Virgil! Your right!” Logan stood with Patton, the need to do something reaching him as well. “Your room is likely a mess. We should go clean it. That will be a good test for the three of us as well. It should not take more than 20 minutes to do so. We can all asses how we feel after. Then we can proceed with the results in mind.”

Roman the last to stand, but the first to reach the stairs, hollered a “Let’s go!” before the other two followed him.

_So not right now._

_That’s good. I can mentally prepare. I can do this._

As he heard the heavy foot falls of the other three coming down the hall 15 minutes later Virgil shook his head to himself.

_I can’t do this. I can’t._

Virgil looked around the living room, panic reaching a fever pitch in his mind.

_Fight? Nothing to fight._

_Flee? They will know where I’m running to_

_Freeze? That’s the least helpful thing to do right now._

_Befriend? That’s what got me into this mess in the first place._

_Hide?_

_Hide!_

_HIDE!_

Moving quickly before the other Sides could see, Virgil jumped up and over the back of the sectional and rolled toward the large ottoman. He had hidden in it the day before, when Patton and Logan spent time together. The top of the four and a half foot ottoman opened, it intended purpose for storing blankets. But Virgil squeezed himself into the small space and voices reached the living room.

“Where’s Virgil?” the innocent voice of Patton rung around the now seemingly empty living room.

Virgil could hear a sigh, exasperated and disappointed.

_They don’t know. They will check the sunset room. They will look all over. They don’t know I’m hiding in an ottoman like the coward I am._

“What do we do now?” Romans loud accusing voice made Virgil nearly jump out of his skin.

Virgil could barely make out a breath being let out. Like one of them was coming to a difficult decision.

_What do they need to decide? They just need to leave._

“Logan?” Patton’s voice seemed concerned. “What should we do?” the question came out as a whisper.

“I dislike either option Patton. But I think it is best that we go with… the more difficult of the two alternatives. Perhaps if you… brooch the subject… it will be more… successful?” Logan’s voice seemed to be extra careful in the choosing of his words, his sentence halting after every couple of words.

_What options? What is Patton going to do?_

And thus Virgil found the huge flaw in hiding. Once you hide, it’s hard to change strategies.

A sliver of light, growing bigger in Virgil’s vision, widened as the top of the ottoman swung open.

Patton was crouched down, his face concerned; head tilted to one side, eyes misty behind his glasses taking center stage in Virgil’s vision.

_But how? How did they know?_

“Hey there kiddo. You wana come out?” Patton hand reached toward Virgil. Virgil was shaken.

“How?” Was the only word Virgil could squeak out.

Patton’s face changed, a look of guilt flashed across his features, eyes not meeting Virgil’s, instead to the ground. “Well…

Roman’s voice rung from out of Virgil’s line of sight, “I build hidey holes for you in the living room. Logan thought this may happen. We just talked about it actually.”

Patton’s made eye contact with Virgil again. “I’m sorry. We should have been more honest. _I_ should have been more honest.”

_They knew? Not only did they know they made these hiding spots for me? They talked about it while they cleaned? They anticipated this?_

_I didn’t even know I was going to do this._

Feeling rather silly and predicable Virgil finally sat up from the cramped space of the very large ottoman.

“I’m sorry.” Virgil could feel Patton’s eyes on him as he tucked into his hoodie more. “It’s just such a thing, and I don’t want it to be a thing, but it is a thing. Now I don’t know what I want to do. And now it’s a bigger thing. And I didn’t want any of this to happen. I just want to go back to how it was before… and I know it can’t, but I can’t help but want that. And now you guys are mad…and...”

Suddenly Patton was wrapping his arms around Virgil.

_Too much? Too close?_

_Not sure._

“We aren’t mad.” Patton breathed into Virgil’s hair.

Stiff under the hug, all Virgil could say was “Ok.”

Virgil could see Logan and Roman on the small landing of the stair way, Logan’s hand on Romans chest keeping Roman in place. Both of them looked at Virgil with identical expressions.

_Concern? Worry? Sadness?_

_Nobody is upset?_

“I don’t understand.” There was a lot Virgil didn’t understand right now. And it made him antsy.

Patton leaned back, embrace finished, giving Virgil some breathing room.

“We didn’t want to call you out. But this is too important. I’m worried if we put it off any longer, you’ll… you’ll…” Patton shook his head, his hand covering his mouth.

“The damage will be too much, and take too long to fix. Moving on your true wishes you shared with us while your mind was unclouded with fear I think is the right thing to do at this juncture. If we give you more time, I hypothesize you will over-think the situation and will become an even more unachievable task in your mind.” Logan‘s gestured toward the room. “I believe we have a mini-space to occupy.”

_Right. Don’t think about it._

_That should be easy._

Virgil nodded. Virgil stood up. He stepped out of the ottoman, and stood. Patton held out his hand. Virgil took it. He walked toward the stairs with Patton leading the way. He took a step up, then another. Patton squeezed his hand. Virgil took another step up, up, up. He stood in the hallway. He passed Romans door on the right, then Logan’s door on the left. There was a gap. He passed Patton’s door on the right. Another squeeze from Patton’s hand, as Virgil looked at the floor in front of his own door. He squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his face. He opened his eyes and sighed. There It was. Roman put his hand on Virgil’s right shoulder. Logan leaned forward and opened the door.

“I can do this.”

“We will help you do this.”


	11. Epilogue

A month passed since Virgil returned his bedroom.

A month full of experimentation. A month full of trust. And a month of building a new routine.

A month that wasn’t easy. When a lot of times he didn’t want to try, but he did because his family was always there, always ready to help.

This was the 30th day since those first steps back into his own bedroom. Virgil was relaxed; laid out on his bed, head phones on and scrolling through his phone. Keeping him company was Logan, writing at a desk that had been conjured in the left corner, working on a list. A small beeping came from Logan’s watch alerting him of the time.

“Has it been 3 hours already? That went fast today.” Virgil asked as he lifted his headphones from his ears.

“It has been. I have to say I am surprised as well. How are you feeling?” Logan gave Virgil his full attention.

“Good. Better. This whole thing is getting easier and easier. I may start sleeping here soon.” Virgil suggested tentatively, fiddling with the pop-socket on his phone.

“I believe I speak for everyone when I say: do not push yourself.” Logan eyes looked serious behind his glasses.

“I’m not. It isn’t time yet. I’m not quite ready to be alone in the dark, but maybe we can start making some progress in that direction?” Virgil glanced back down to his phone, trying to seem casual.

“If you would like to, I will support it. Shall I send Roman in?” Logan asked as he packed up his work materials.

Virgil nodded.

Logan left the bedroom, leaving the door open. Within two minutes Roman came flaunting in, closing the door behind him.

“Two hours on the clock my darkest knight?” Roman pulled out his phone to set the alarm.

“Yep. That’s what Logan prescribed for you.” Virgil said, noting the time himself. “What are you doing today?”

“If you feel talkative, I want to gossip about boys. If you don’t, I brought in a screen play I want to read.” Roman dramatically laid out on the plush red chaise lounge, moving a few of the gold trimmed red pillows out of the way. The chaise lounge was conjured into the right corner of Virgil's expanded bedroom, around the same time as the desk in the left corner of the room.

Virgil thought about it for a moment. He had just had 3 hours of quiet with Logan’s presence. And he was likely to talk with Patton when he came in next. He felt split.

“Halfsies?” Virgil asked hopefully. “With reading first?”

“Excellent choice my rainbow loving Emo!” and Roman settled down to read.

They were in the middle of extolling the virtues and vises of a cute nurse Thomas had met at a friend’s birthday party, when Panic! At the Disco’s rendition of “Into the Unknown” interrupted them.

“I swear these hours are going by faster and faster.” Roman exclaimed, shutting off the song alarm.

“I know what you mean. Time and fun and all of that right?” Virgil shrugged.

“You know I bring the fun to any party! We need to finish this tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it.” Roman fluffed the pillows. Some pillows had fallen to the floor while he was emphasizing some of his more dramatic points.

“Sure. Sounds great. Patton is coming in now right?” Virgil asked hesitantly. He was always the most nervous about Patton’s shift in his room.

“Yep! I’ll go grab the puff ball.” Roman left the room with a flourish.

A mere 45 seconds later a huffing Patton stood in the door way.

“Virgil!” Patton brightness eased some of Virgil’s nervousness.

“Patton.” Virgil replied, quickly setting his alarm on his phone.

Patton bounced the in bedroom, taking his customary spot in a light blue bean bag on the floor near the head of Virgil’s bed. The bean bag was also conjured around the same time as the desk and the chaise lounge.

“How you doing?” Patton asked pulling out a chocolate bar from his pocket.

“Good. Had some quiet time with Logan. Chatted with Roman for about an hour. That was pretty fun. Thinking about making some steps toward sleeping in here soon…” Virgil let the sentence hang in the air.

“I don’t want you to push yourself.” Patton’s eyes looked serious behind his glasses.

Virgil laughed to himself. “No, I’m not. Maybe some waking hours alone first? Then maybe naps during the day? Then a few half nights with company? I’m not going to jump into the deep end on this one.”

“That seems like a good plan. We will see what Logan thinks too. You know how he adores a chart!” Patton broke off a piece of his chocolate bar with a loud snap and offered it to Virgil. Virgil took the small piece.

“I know. Maybe tomorrow while he is here we can make a plan for it.” Virgil bit into the milk chocolate.

“I just wish I could do more.” Patton sighed, breaking off nearly half of the bar for himself.

“You’re doing as much as you can do. We all agreed when you guys did the testing. Whatever your tolerance levels are for my room, we wouldn’t go over that.” Virgil fished his piece of chocolate. “Heck, it always makes me nervous for you to be in here at all. Even with all the precautions you take.” Virgil waved toward the chocolate in Patton’s hand. “Those first few tests with you were scary for me.”

Patton shuddered, his mouth full of chocolate. Finally swallowing, he replied, “Me too. Why did it scare you?”

“I was scared _for_ you. I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle all of this…” Virgil gestured wildly to his bedroom. “...For very long. But I also knew you wanted to help so much. I was scared you would push yourself too much.”

Patton nodded. “I know. Logan said it was important that none of us try too hard to ‘push through’ but I want to do more! The other two…”

“The other two would have been terrible at talking me out of the ottoman that day.” Virgil interrupted.

“Yeah…” Patton sighed as he bit directly into the rest of his chocolate bar.

“Not to mention you are on nightmare duty.”

“Yeah….” Patton said around a mouthful of chocolate.

“Anyway, we are all different right? That’s what you keep telling me. We all have the things we are good at and struggle with. You can’t be the best at everything all the time. Right?”

“Your right.” Patton said fiddling with the foil that no longer had any more chocolate. “Hey! I’m supposed to be here supporting you!”

Virgil laughed. “It seems like I’m feeling better enough to help you now. Hopefully it’ll continue.”

“Hopefully!”

And so they sat for another 45 minutes. They chatted some, sat in silence for a while, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Eventually Virgil’s phone started meowing, signaling the end of the hour that Patton was allowed to be in Virgil’s room.

“You good?” Virgil asked as they both got up to head down stairs.

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah. I am. I’m doing good.”

They both headed down stairs for lunch. When Virgil passed the Artwork they had made, hung in the hallway between Patton’s and Romans doors, he couldn’t help but smile. When they all worked on turkey sandwiches together as a family, Virgil couldn’t help but smile. When they all sat at the dining room table with Roman and Logan bickering about an upcoming project, Virgil couldn’t help but smile.

Virgil just couldn’t help himself. He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! 
> 
> The mean writer part of me wanted to end this story a chapter earlier. But the nice writer part of me thought you would like this last chapter.


End file.
